Gunmen kill at least 56 people in central Nigeria
Attacks believed to have been carried out by nomadic cattle herders killed at least 56 people in central Nigeria in one night, the Benue state governor's office said Saturday. Competition over land use has long been a source of tension between largely Muslim pastoralists and largely Christian farmers.
Gunmen killed at least 56 people earlier this week in central Nigeria's Benue state, the governor's office said Saturday, sharply revising a previous toll of 17.
Clashes between nomadic cattle herders and farmers over land use are common in central Nigeria. Governor Hyacinth Alia had earlier blamed the attacks in the Ukum and Logo local government areas on "suspected herdsmen".
With many herders belonging to the Muslim Fulani ethnic group, and many farmers Christian, the attacks in Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt often take on a religious or ethnic dimension. Two attacks by unidentified gunmen earlier this month in neighbouring Plateau state left more than 100 people dead.
"The death toll has jumped to 56 from the attacks as at the last count," Solomon Iorpev, the governor's media advisor, told AFP following Alia's visit to the scene.
That figure could rise as search-and-rescue operations continue, he added.
The attacks happened Thursday night into Friday, sparking the deployment of security forces.
The government-owned News Agency of Nigeria reported over the weekend that the country's defence minister was visiting Plateau state.
Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Nigeria's northern states face blackout after jihadist vandalismBoko Haram and ISWAP are 'on their last legs', Nigerian information minister says
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