Herdsmen kill at least 96 people in Nigeria's Benue state
At least 96 people were killed in Benue state in Nigeria's middle belt region when several villages were attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen, a state police spokesman and an army source said Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Hundreds are killed each year in clashes pitting the semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani people against more settled communities that practice a mix of farming and cattle rearing, driven by disputes centred around land use.
A senior military officer said fighting around five villages lasted several days in the Logo local government area of Benue.
Police spokesman Austine Ezeani said a mobile police unit was deployed to the area.