At least 16 people were killed in an attack by suspected gunmen in Nigeria's central Plateau state, local officials have said.

Oya James, spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, a military-led multi-security taskforce in Plateau, told reporters in Jos, the state capital, on Sunday that the attack occurred in Mushu, a village in the Bokkos local government area, late on Saturday.

The villagers were asleep when the gunmen entered the neighborhood, shooting indiscriminately and destroying property, James said.

He said the motive of the attack was yet to be ascertained, and an investigation has been launched.

Armed attacks have been a major security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings.

(Cover: Members of the Nigerian Mobile Police (MOPOL) speak with a cleaner at the Idu Railway Station before boarding the last train for Kaduna in Abuja on February 24, 2023. /CFP)