LAGOS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 27 people were killed by unknown gunmen in Bachi District of Riyom local government area in central Nigeria's Plateau State, a local official said on Tuesday.

The Chairman of Riyom Local Government, Josephine Piyo, told inspecting federal and state rescue agency officials that the attackers torched 70 houses and left them in rubbles.

She described the last Thursday attacks as "sad and barbaric," noting that the attack also led to the displacement of no fewer than 3,520 people from their homes.

Plateau State is situated in Nigeria's middle belt where the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian-majority south meet. It has seen years of ethnic tensions and is a major potential flashpoint ahead of the April presidential elections.

The state capital Jos was plunged in a pool of blood on March 7, 2010, when members of local Muslim and Christian communities fought each other in revenge for previous killings.

The state has recently witnessed some bomb blasts and constant rifts between Berom and Fulani herdsmen, with many, especially women and children, murdered in cold blood in the state.