15 people have died over the past few days in separate attacks in central Nigeria’s Benue State, due to the recurring clashes between Christian farmers and nomadic cattle herders, official reports confirmed Wednesday.
Benue State information minister Lawrence Onoja stated that suspected militant herders carried out the attacks on several villages in the last 48 hours.
The village of Tse Ishav, near Guma, was attacked at around 3am on Wednesday, with militants “leaving behind eight corpses, several missing and many wounded,” he said.
“This is coming after two other people were killed on Monday by the same armed men close to the nearby locality of Yelwata.
The head of Guma’s local government Anthony Shawon confirmed the death toll of 10, adding that the attackers set fire to houses and farms as they left.
The same militia also carried out further attacks in the neighboring district of Logo where “five people were killed… and many more wounded,” said Onoja.
The head of the local government Richard Nyajo echoed the report, adding that police reinforcements have been deployed.
Benue state has seen a wave of deadly clashes which have left hundreds dead in recent months.
The area lies in the so-called “Middle Belt” between Nigeria’s mainly-Christian south and predominantly Muslim north.