At least eight people, including three children, were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a rural community in Nigeria's North-Central state of Benue, police said Monday.

Cletus Nwadiogbu, commissioner of police in Benue State, said that the gunmen employed guerrilla tactics, attacking a community in Otukpo Local Government Area on Sunday before fleeing into a nearby forest.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, and police have launched an investigation, he added.

Benue, one of Nigeria's major food-producing states, has frequently witnessed violent clashes between herders and farmers over land and other resources.