48 killed in clash between farmers and herders in Niger State

At least 48 villagers have died in a clash between the Fulani and Kamuku ethnic groups in Tegina, a town in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

Residents told our reporter that the violence started early Wednesday morning when herders armed with machetes invaded a Kamuku community. They killed 42 people, mostly women, children, and the elderly.

Some residents shared graphic images of the scene, showing victims who had been hacked to death or burned.

Ibrahim Musa, a resident, said many people from the outskirts of Tegina, where such attacks often happen, are fleeing to the town center to find safety.

Mr Musa added that in a retaliatory attack later, members of the Kamuku group killed about six herders on a nearby plantation.

Many of those who died were from a large family belonging to the Kamuku tribe. The attackers also set fire to houses, silos, and vehicles owned by the family.

The police spokesperson in Niger State, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident. He said the police were gathering the casualty figures and promised to give updates when they are available.

The clashes between the two groups began in May after a monetary donation made by Sani Musa, the senator for the Niger East District. The money was meant for the community and was given out through a Fulani leader named Muhammed Shehu.

Later, Mr Shehu was found dead, and his body was discovered near an office used by a local vigilante group mostly made up of the Kamuku people.

The herders accused the vigilantes of killing Mr Shehu over the money. They began to attack Kamuku people whenever they saw them.

Herders also attacked a local market, targeting vigilantes and disrupting trade. In May, it was reported that eight bodies from both sides were buried after the first outbreak of violence.

Tegina town is at the center of the security crisis in Nigeria's North-central region.

The area is often attacked by bandits for mass abductions and raids. In May 2021, 136 children were kidnapped from the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina. Just three months earlier, 27 students were taken from Government Science College in nearby Kagara.

In the past, cattle herders and crop farmers in Tegina had a good relationship. The Fulani and the Kamuku worked together in a way that benefited both sides.

But since May, attacks back and forth between the two groups have seriously damaged this relationship.