group of gunmen killed 50 people

Nigeria: A group of gunmen killed at least 50 people in the village of Umogidi in Benue State, Nigeria. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, reported HS.

Local government chairman Ruben Bako said the gunmen killed three people in the first and killed 47 people in the second attack. Benue police also confirmed that the attackers opened fire at a market. The police suspect the involvement of local shepherds. Local farmers accused the herders of grazing their cattle in their fields and destroying their crops.

The herders claim the land is for grazing which was legally permitted after the country gained independence in 1965. The conflict between nomadic herders and farmers in north-west and central Nigeria goes back decades.