At least 74 people were killed in two attacks by armed groups in the Benue region of Nigeria this week, after clashes between herdsmen and farmers, according to government officials and the police on Saturday.
The violence has been increasing in recent years, after the increase in the number of people led to the expansion of the land allocated for agriculture, which reduced the land used by livestock and nomadic people.
Benue State Police spokesperson Catherine Anene said 28 bodies were recovered from an IDP camp in Mgban Local Government on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
It is not yet known officially what is behind this attack, but witnesses said that armed groups arrived at the scene and started shooting people, and many people died.
It follows another incident in the same region on Wednesday, where suspected herdsmen were killed in Umogidi village, Bako Eje, Otukpo governor, told Reuters.
President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement issued on Saturday condemned the latest killings in Benue state and directed the security forces to increase surveillance in the affected areas.
