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Gunmen have attacked a rural village in northern central Nigeria, killing dozens of individuals, native authorities officers mentioned on Friday.
The assault occurred on Wednesday in Umogidi neighborhood in Benue State, the place tit-for-tat clashes are widespread between nomadic herders and settled farmers competing for land and sources.
“The 46 casualties had been from the our bodies of victims discovered and retrieved. Many individuals are nonetheless lacking, so the variety of these killed could also be increased,” Paul Hemba, safety advisor to Benue State governor, informed AFP.
He blamed herdsmen who he mentioned had been attacking native communities over the past month.
“Troopers have been dispatched to the realm, so the state of affairs is a bit calm now.”
The motive for the assault was not clear however Benue has been one of many hardest hit by clashes between farmers and herders who they accuse of destroying farmland with their cattle grazing.
A consultant of the nationwide herders’ affiliation was not instantly out there for remark.
Bala Ejeh, Otukpo native authorities chairman, mentioned the gunmen attacked on Wednesday afternoon when folks had been mourning three others killed a day earlier.
He additionally mentioned 46 our bodies had been recovered up to now, together with that of his personal son and two family.
Communal violence is simply one of many safety challenges dealing with President-elect Bola Tinubu who gained a presidential poll final month that was marked by heavy delays and accusations of vote rigging.
Safety forces are additionally battling a 14-year-long jihadist battle within the country’s northwest and assaults by separatists within the southeast.
Intercommunal violence has spiralled into broader criminality within the northwest and centre of the nation, the place closely armed bandit militias ransack villages and perform mass abductions for ransom.
(AFP)
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