(Jos) More than 30 people have been killed in Nigeria in clashes between farmers and herdsmen in villages in Plateau state, a local official said on Tuesday.
“The incident affected more than 30 people. They lost their lives,” said Dan Manjang, Commissioner for Information and Communication in this central Nigerian state. The clashes were between “shepherds and farmers”, he said.
The northwestern and central regions of Nigeria are regularly the scene of conflicts and tensions around the exploitation of land and water resources.
Tuesday’s clashes took place “in several villages” in Mangu district, police said.
“At approximately 11:56 a.m. (6:56 a.m. EST), we received an emergency call” reporting gunmen “shooting sporadically,” said police spokesman Alfred. Alabo, in a press release.
Security forces were deployed to the scene and confronted the troublemakers, the statement said.
The chain of killings followed by acts of reprisal has given rise to wider criminality in the region with gangs carrying out targeted expeditions into villages, carrying out mass kidnappings and looting.
“As we speak, the culprits are on the run and our officers are in pursuit with the objective of ensuring that they are neutralized and, if possible, arrested,” Mr Alabo said.
The chairman of Mangu district has imposed a 24-hour curfew to prevent the unrest from spreading to other areas.
The violence is one of many security challenges facing President-elect Bola Tinubu when he takes over as leader of Africa’s most populous country later in May.
Nigeria’s military must fight jihadists in the northeast and deal with separatist tensions in the southeast of the country.