Mobs roamed the streets of Jos Wednesday morning, killing two people and wounding others in scenes of chaotic violence.
The unrest follows a weekend attack by unidentified gunmen in a local bar, leaving around 30 dead, sparking unverified religious claims.
Social media erupted with accusations that Christians were deliberately targeted on Palm Sunday, intensifying tensions in the northern Nigerian city.
The University of Jos ordered the evacuation of its student housing Wednesday and Thursday, with state-provided transport for safety.
Jos, Plateau state’s capital, hosts a mixed population of Christians and Muslims, living largely peacefully despite historical sectarian tensions.
Eyewitness Sani Danladi Marshall described youths attacking a taxi, killing one passenger with stones and throwing the body into a ditch.
Another resident, Usman Musa, said he was shot along with a colleague, though it remains unclear if they were targeted deliberately.
AFP reporters observed burning cars, a set ablaze tricycle taxi, and panicked crowds fleeing the streets during the early violence.
Security forces, including the military, deployed across Jos, firing into the air at times to disperse rioting mobs.
The Red Cross has not confirmed the full death toll, though victims were seen being transported in its vehicles.
In rural Plateau, clashes between farmers and herders over land access often inflame ethnic and religious tensions, complicating city security.
A curfew on Monday and Tuesday had briefly reduced violence, but Sunday’s massacre in Anguwan Rukuba left many university-area residents fearing reprisals.
While most Sunday victims were presumed Christian, a local Muslim group reported four of its members were also killed in the attack.
The military has not publicly commented on Wednesday’s events, though troops were seen aiding stranded civilians in Jos neighborhoods.