2023-05-18 21:32:09
Time.news – The death toll from clashes between shepherds and farmers in Plateau State, in the Central Nigeria, rose from 30 to 85, a local official said on Thursday. Following Monday’s attacks in the Mangu district, “85 bodies were recovered,” said local government council chairman Daput Minister Daniel. Some people were injured, but he did not give the number, while “several houses have been destroyed and many people are now displaced”.
The state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also said that “thousands of people displaced on the road” following the attacks. The region sits on the dividing line between Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, and has been battling ethnic and religious violence for years.
“The Houses Are Still Burning”
It’s unclear what sparked the latest violence, but the killings of shepherds and farmers often escalate into village raids by heavily armed gangs. Juni Bala, director of SEMA’s search and rescue service, said his team visited the area. “We saw houses that were still burning,” Bala said.
Police today announced that they have arrested five people in connection with the violence. “A heavy security presence has been deployed,” police spokesman Alfred Alabo said in a statement. “So far, calm has been restored in Mangu Local Government General Area, but monitoring continues.”
#Clashes #shepherds #farmers #dozens #dead #Nigeria