By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS 

The Nigerian army on Monday denied accusations that soldiers had killed 30 people in Plateau State over the weekend in an alleged revenge attack by soldiers for the death of several of their colleagues.

"The claims… are totally false and a gross misrepresentation of what happened," Nigeria's defense headquarters said in a statement.

It insisted that between May 2 and 3, soldiers from a special task force had conducted a raid to dislodge suspected militia groups holed up in the villages of Kadarko, Kunmi and Wadatan in Plateau State's Wase local government area.

The military said the militia group had engaged the troops in a shootout.

"In the ensuing exchange of fire, 32 suspected militants lost their lives, while soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries," it added.

According to the military, ten other militants were arrested in possession of various weapons and are now in the army's custody.

"Never again shall the Nigerian military allow any militant groups to rise again to constitute… a grave danger to innocent citizens of the country," read the statement.

Mark Lipdo, a human rights activist, said residents of the three villages had reported that 30 "innocent civilians" had been killed by soldiers.

"We cannot confirm the veracity of this claim yet, because some mercenaries are known to operate from that area," said Lipdo, who is also the head of the Stefanos Foundation, a local nonprofit relief organization.

"Until the army gives its own side of the story, it may be too early to draw any conclusion," he added.

Nigerian defense spokesman Chris Olukolade said the claim "flies in the face of the facts."

"How can the army open fire on innocent citizens they are protecting? It simply does not add up," he told The Anadolu Agency.

Until now, Taraba State in Nigeria's restive northeast has been largely insulated from the Boko Haram insurgency.

But Taraba – like Nigeria's north-central Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states – is nevertheless plagued by frequent ethnic clashes usually emanating from disagreements over farmland or other resources.