Nigerian police fired tear gas at protesters in Makurdi on Sunday, as outrage grew over a deadly attack that left dozens dead.
The unrest followed a brutal assault on the village of Yelewata in central Benue State, where gunmen killed at least 45 people late Friday night.
Clashes between Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers over land and resources have increasingly scarred this fertile yet fractured region.
Thousands marched through Makurdi demanding justice, urging state authorities to end the bloodshed that has haunted their communities for years.
“We were simply protesting the killings of our people,” said protester Joseph Hir. “Now the police are shooting tear gas at us.”
Local journalist John Shiaondo said he was covering what began as a peaceful protest when security forces abruptly intervened.
Benue state spokesperson Tersoo Kula said protesters were given time to demonstrate but failed to disperse as instructed by authorities.
The death toll from Friday’s massacre remains uncertain, with Amnesty International and local residents claiming over 100 lives may have been lost.
Amnesty condemned the attack as “horrifying,” adding that official security efforts are clearly failing to protect vulnerable populations.
In Rome, Pope Leo XIV described the incident as a “terrible massacre” and decried the “extreme cruelty” inflicted on displaced civilians.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the violence and ordered security agencies to arrest and prosecute all those responsible.
He also called on political and community leaders to refrain from inflaming tensions that could spark further bloodshed.
Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia said federal tactical units had begun arriving and reinforcements were deployed to protect at-risk communities.
Violent land conflicts remain a deadly thread in Nigeria’s central belt, where more than 150 people were killed in April alone.