86 killed in clash between herders and farmers in central Nigeria

JOS: Eighty-six people have been killed in an attack by suspected nomadic herders against farming communities in restive central Nigeria, police said.

The discovery in the Barikin Ladi area of Plateau state yesterday came after days of violence apparently sparked by an attack by ethnic Berom farmers on Fulani herders on Thursday.

State police commissioner Undie Adie said a search of Berom villages in the area following clashes on Saturday found “86 persons altogether were killed”.

Adie said six people were also injured and 50 houses razed. Bodies of those who died have been released to their families, he added.

The deaths are the latest in a long-running battle for land and resources that is putting President Muhammadu Buhari under pressure as elections approach next year.

The violence – fuelled by ethnic, religious and political allegiances – has killed thousands over decades.

Analysts believe it could become Nigeria’s biggest security concern, eclipsing Boko Haram’s extremist insurgency that has left at least 20,000 dead since 2009.

The Plateau state government said it had imposed restrictions on movements in the Riyom, Barikin Ladi and Jos South areas “to avert a breakdown of law and order”.

“The curfew takes effect immediately ... and movement is restricted from 6pm to 6am, except (for) those on essential duties,” said spokesman Rufus Bature.

On Sunday, ethnic Berom youths set up barricades on the Jos-Abuja highway and attacked motorists who looked “Fulani and Muslim”, according to those who escaped the violence.

Plateau state police spokesman Tyopev Terna and Major Adam Umar, from the military task force in the state capital, Jos, confirmed the blockade and vandalism to several cars.

There were no official reports of deaths but Baba Bala, who escaped the violence on the road, said at least six people were killed.

“I escaped with a smashed windscreen and dents on my car. I saw six dead bodies and several damaged cars,” he added.