Gunmen killed 17 people, mostly women
and children, after invading a farming
community in central Nigeria, police said
Tuesday, the latest violence linked to
grazing rights disputes.
The attack in Benue State occurred
Monday, state police spokesman Moses
Yamu told AFP, saying attackers on
motorcycles and in a car opened fire on a
market and set buildings on fire.
“There was indeed an
attack yesterday
afternoon on a market
in Zaki Biyam by
unknown persons.
Seventeen people were
killed and 11 injured
by the gunmen,” Yamu
said.
“We have not made
any arrests and we
are yet to find out the
motive for the attack.
We have been given
some names of people
suspected of
involvement in the
attack and we are on
their trail.”
An investigation is under way.
Local media said between 30 and 50 people
were killed in the attack in a region
wracked by a long-running conflict
between nomadic Fulani herders and local
farmers over grazing rights.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari
condemned the “loss of lives” in a
statement issued Tuesday.
“The President condemns the wicked attack
and directs security agencies to begin
immediate investigation with a view to
bringing the perpetrators of the dastardly
act to book,” his office said.
In July last year, state officials said scores
of villagers were killed in Benue following
weeks of clashes. Local television channels
put the toll at 81.
In February 2016, hundreds of people were
said to have been killed and about 1,000
homes destroyed in the Agatu area of the
state in a wave of attacks blamed on the
Fulani.
Buhari, a northern Muslim, has proposed
the creation of grazing land to prevent
further clashes in a country that is battling
an eight-year Boko Haram insurgency in
the northeast.
Alabatvnews.
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