At least 25 people were killed in an overnight attack on a village in Nigeria's central Plateau state, local officials and residents said on Tuesday, in violence that has heightened fears of violent reprisals in the restive region.

The incident highlights persistent insecurity in Plateau state, where tensions between farming communities and herders often spiral into retaliatory violence, leaving people dead, displaced and homeless.

Lemun Le'an Iliya, a councillor representing the area, said 23 people were killed in the attack and another victim later died in hospital.

Resident Amos John said that an additional victim had died, bringing fatalities to at least 25. He said the attackers went from house to house, killing residents with machetes, with women and children accounting for most of the victims.

Plateau police spokesperson Alfred Alabo told Reuters officers were deploying to the area and would issue a statement after assessing the situation.

A local group, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, accused authorities of failing to protect vulnerable communities and called for a review of security in the area.

"The recurring destruction of communities, killing of innocent citizens, burning of homes and destruction of farmlands cannot continue to be treated as ordinary incidents," spokesperson Tubwot Joël Sunday said.

Plateau, in Nigeria's Middle Belt, has long been plagued by violence linked to disputes over land, grazing rights and resources, often compounded by ethnic and religious divisions.