Bomb blast in central Nigeria kills 27 herders

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - A group of 27 Fulani herders was killed Wednesday and several others were wounded when a bomb exploded in the village of Rukubi on the border between Nasarawa and Benue states in central Nigeria, police said.

Nasarawa state police spokesman Ramhan Nansel said the local police command was working in collaboration with other security agencies and the state government to determine the circumstances that led to the bombing and to arrest the perpetrators.

“It is unfortunate that such a thing happened. Twenty-seven of the herdsmen were killed after a bomb exploded in the Doma Local Government Area. The police and other security agencies are working around the clock to understand what led to the attack and track down those involved,” Nansel said.

Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule commented on the blast, vowing to ensure that those behind the killings are apprehended and face justice.

He urged all Fulani people across the state to remain calm, saying the state government was working with authorities in Benue State to find a lasting solution to the incessant attacks on people along the Nasarawa-Benue border.

Sule said security operatives had been deployed to curtail any further breakdown of law and order in the area.

“On behalf of the state government, I want to sympathize with the Fulani people across the state over the killings of their people by an unknown bomber. I want to assure them of the state government’s commitment to finding the perpetrators of such acts so they face the full wrath of the law,” he added.​​​​​​​