At least 18 people have been killed in a communal clash linked to a land dispute in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state, police said Friday, as security forces were deployed to prevent further violence.
The clashes took place between Monday and Thursday in several communities in Rafi Local Government Area, according to the Niger State Police Command.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said the violence began on Monday after suspected armed men shot dead a resident, Ibrahim Musa, in Godoro village.
The killing triggered reprisal attacks, including one by local vigilantes known as Yansakai, who allegedly blocked a road and killed a man identified as Bashir Mazi.
The violence escalated on Wednesday and Thursday when armed attackers stormed Angwan-Baago community in Katako district.
“The hoodlums attacked the community and set a house ablaze where 15 persons were burnt to death, while another person was killed at a different location,” Abiodun said.
Police, soldiers and other security personnel have since been deployed to the affected areas to restore calm.
Authorities have also set up a reconciliation committee led by the chairman of Rafi Local Government Area, alongside the district head and other community stakeholders, to address the causes of the conflict and prevent further violence.
Police said investigations are underway to identify and arrest those responsible for the killings.
Communal clashes over land ownership, grazing routes and access to natural resources remain a recurring source of violence across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and north-central region.