According to a citizen and a government official, armed individuals invaded a hamlet in Plateau State on Saturday night, killing nine people and destroying six homes.
The Sabon Gari hamlet in the state's Mangu Local Government was the scene of the attack.
The incident is the most recent in a state where there have been several other attacks by armed individuals amid ongoing ethnoreligious disputes in different regions of the state.
In Jos, the capital of Plateau State, on Sunday, Jerry Datim, one of the community's elders, confirmed the attack to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to Mr. Datim, who also serves as the national president of the Global Society for Middle Belt Heritage, the attack took place on Saturday night.
Six homes were burned down last night during a gunman attack on my town, Sabon Gari in Mangu.
He stated, "We have found nine dead bodies so far, but we are still looking for some of the missing people."
Mr. Datim, on the other hand, praised Operation Rainbow employees for acting quickly to stop the attack.
I want to thank the members of operation Rainbow for their prompt response, which helped to stabilise the situation.
We request that the government provide them with the required logistics for a quick reaction, he said.
When asked if inhabitants had left the area, Mr. Datim responded that they had made up their minds to stay and protect their ancestral grounds.
The incident was confirmed by James Oya, the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) Special Military Task Force spokeswoman.
The Commander of the Operation, Major General Abdusalam Abubakar, was heading troops to the scene of the attack, according to Mr. Oya, who did not confirm the casualty toll.
Despite the extensive deployment of security personnel, Plateau in north-central Nigeria has had multiple similar attacks. Attacks between warring communities and ethnoreligious groups often serve as payback for earlier attacks. Attacks on villages of coal farmers in the state by armed herders do occur occasionally.
Such attacks have left thousands of people dead and others injured throughout the state.