Suspected herders kill at least 17 in Nigeria

At least 17 people were killed when suspected cattle herders attacked communities in central Nigeria's Benue State on Thursday, police said, amid a resurgence of deadly clashes between farmers and herders.

Years of clashes have disrupted food supplies from north-central Nigeria, a significant agricultural area.

The latest attacks came two days after 11 people were killed in the Otukpo area of Benue and barely a week after gunmen attacked villages and killed more than 50 people in neighbouring Plateau State.

Since 2019, the clashes have claimed more than 500 lives in the region and forced 2.2 million to leave their homes, according to research firm SBM Intelligence.

A separate group of suspected herdsmen shot and killed five farmers around Gbagir in Benue's Ukum Local Government Area, early on Friday, police said. The attackers opened fire as police were moving in to confront them, police spokesperson Sewuese Anene said in a statement.

While officers were engaging the attackers at Ukum, another 12 people were killed in another attack in Logo local council area, about 70 km away, police said.