At least 18 people have been killed over several days of violence linked to a long-standing land dispute in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State, police said on Thursday.
The clashes erupted between Monday and Wednesday in the Rafi area and involved both gunfire and arson, according to police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun, reports AP/UNB.
Authorities said the violence began on Monday with the killing of two people. The situation escalated on Wednesday when 15 residents were burnt to death after attackers set fire to a house. Another person was killed in a separate incident.
Police said the unrest was triggered by a protracted land dispute between two tribal communities in the area.
Abiodun added that a reconciliation committee led by local government officials was engaging with security agencies to ease tensions, while joint police and military patrols had been deployed to restore order.
Communal clashes over land and natural resources are frequent in parts of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
Niger State has also been repeatedly hit by armed criminal gangs carrying out kidnappings for ransom and attacks on rural farming communities.
