JOS, Nigeria (AP) — An activist says nine people have died in an attack on a Christian village in central Nigeria, a region beset by religious and ethnic tensions.

Mark Lipdo, head of the Stefanos Foundation, a Christian advocacy group, said Tuesday that witnesses told him gunmen in army uniforms sprayed bullets from a van Monday night as they sped along the road leading to Plateau state’s airport.

Army spokesman Capt. Musa Salisu could not immediately be reached for comment.

Police chief Emmanuel Ayeni declined to give details of the attack, saying authorities were investigating.

Violence between Christians and Muslims has killed hundreds in the state in recent years. Meanwhile, both communities have accused security authorities of taking sides. The Plateau state sits between Nigeria’s mainly Christian south and its mostly Muslim north.