Scores dead as Nigeria herders, farmers clash

KANO, Nigeria — Scores of people were killed in an outbreak of sectarian violence that lasted for days in northeast Nigeria, police and community leaders said Friday.

The bloodshed between the Fulani herders and Yandang farmers broke out in Lau district, Taraba state, on July 5 and went on for days, with police putting the death toll at 17.

“A total of 17 people were confirmed killed in the four days the violence lasted and several villages were burnt,” Taraba state police spokesman David Misal told AFP. “Police detachments were sent in and by July 8 the situation was completely brought under control.”

But Fulani and Yandang community leaders said that 70 people died in the violence and thousands had fled from their homes in search of safety.

“We lost 23 people in the attacks and more than 3,000 of our people have been displaced,” said Sahabi Mahmoud, head of the herders union in Taraba, to reporters in the state capital Jalingo.

According to Aaron Artimas, a Yandang community leader, over “more than 50 farmers were killed and 50 villages were burnt” in the unrest.

“Over 2,000 displaced persons from the affected villages are currently taking refuge at the central primary school in Jalingo while some are in other villages,” Artimas said, blaming militias from neighboring Adamawa state for the violence.

Adamawa state has been the site of a series of deadly clashes between herders and farmers in violence that has intensified over recent months.