Suspected herders kill at least 17 in Nigeria

By Camillus Eboh

LAGOS (Reuters) - At slightest 17 radical were killed erstwhile suspected cattle herders attacked communities successful cardinal Nigeria's Benue State connected Thursday, constabulary said, amid a resurgence of deadly clashes betwixt farmers and herders.

Years of clashes person disrupted nutrient supplies from north-central Nigeria, a important cultivation area.

The latest attacks came 2 days aft 11 radical were killed successful the Otukpo country of Benue and hardly a week aft gunmen attacked villages and killed much than 50 radical successful neighbouring Plateau State.

Since 2019, the clashes person claimed much than 500 lives successful the portion and forced 2.2 cardinal to permission their homes, according to probe steadfast SBM Intelligence.

A abstracted radical of suspected herdsmen changeable and killed 5 farmers astir Gbagir successful Benue's Ukum Local Government Area, aboriginal connected Friday, constabulary said. The attackers opened occurrence arsenic constabulary were moving successful to face them, constabulary spokesperson Sewuese Anene said successful a statement.

While officers were engaging the attackers astatine Ukum, different 12 radical were killed successful different onslaught successful Logo section assembly area, astir 70 km away, constabulary said.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Andrew Heavens)