9 dead in central Nigeria clashes
2013-01-25 12:35
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Jos - Clashes between ethnic Fulani herdsmen and local
farmers have left at least nine people dead in central Nigeria's volatile
Plateau State, a military spokesman said on Thursday.
Captain Salisu Mustapha of the special task force in the
state said the incident happened late on Tuesday in Wadata, a mainly Christian
farming village outside the flashpoint city of Jos.
"I can confirm that at least nine people were killed
and several injured in the violence between the local farmers and Fulani cattle
rearers," he said.
The cause of the latest clashes had yet to be determined, he
said.
"We have restored order in the area. The place is now
calm but we are still investigating the cause of the fighting," he said.
Residents said up to 20 people might have been killed in the
clashes, sparked by the discovery of a local farmer's corpse in the bush.
Plateau state falls in Nigeria's so-called "Middle Belt",
where the mainly Christian south meets the majority Muslim north, and has been
the site of waves of sectarian and ethnic violence in recent years.
The area has also been attacked by the Islamist group Boko
Haram.
- SAPA
