JOS, Nigeria: At least 23 people have been killed by gunmen in separate attacks in a tit-for-tat attacks between herders and local farmers in central Nigeria — a region rife with communal conflicts.
The number of tit-for-tat attacks has increased recently in Plateau State, which sits on the boundary separating Nigeria’s mostly Christian south from its predominately Muslim north.
According to Plateau State police spokesperson Alfred Alabo, two livestock herders were slain on Sunday before 21 farmers were slaughtered in subsequent raids in other areas.
“The second assault was undertaken later in the night after the two herders had been murdered. The scene of the event has been examined by the police commissioner. The reason for the attack is under investigation.
The governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, expressed his sadness over the deaths and said the security situation had deteriorated to a “alarming” level in a statement.
He compared the security architecture to an out-of-service engine that has to be repaired and updated.
According to local officials, assaults on the Plateau’s Mangu area claimed the lives of over 100 people and forced thousands more to flee their homes in May.
In several areas of Nigeria, notably the central and northwest regions, conflicts over land, resources, and water frequently arise between farmers and nomadic herders.
However, attacks and large-scale kidnappings are frequently carried out by gangs with heavy weapons and vigilante organisations formed to defend neighbourhoods.
Two herders were fatally murdered on Sunday evening while returning home, according to Bello Tafawa, the local chairman of the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
He stated, “We have already reported the situation to the local security services.
Later on Sunday, according to a local young community leader named Rwang Tengwong, suspected “herders” slaughtered 21 people in separate communities.
He blamed ethnic Fulani herders, saying “Twenty one people were killed and several others injured on Sunday during coordinated attacks.”
In order to address Nigeria’s numerous security concerns, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who took office last month, has urged the country’s military forces to work together more effectively.
Security forces are still working to put an end to a 14-year-old terrorist struggle in the northeast, as well as tensions related to secession in the country’s southeast and intercommunal violence. AFP
