Gunmen have killed four Nigerian soldiers in an ambush on a military patrol in central Plateau state, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of Jos, a local government official said.

Islamist militant group Boko Haram has made inroads into Plateau state in the past month, setting off a bomb in Jos last Tuesday that killed 118 people.

Bendel Nancwat, head of the local council that administers the village of Gida Bua, where the attack happened Monday, said it was not known if the assailants were Boko Haram or just bandits.

A spokesman for the Special Task Force – made up of military and police personnel meant to keep the peace in Plateau state – Captain Ikedichi Iweha, confirmed the incident but declined to give details ahead of an investigation.