Nigeria: 10 killed in fresh attack on farmers

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Nigerian officials announced Sunday that 59 victims of recent violence between herders and farmers -- including 10 killed on Saturday -- will be buried in a mass grave on Thursday.

Terver Akase, spokesman for the governor of Benue state, said a memorial service will be held for the victims in Makurdi, Benue's capital.

Police in Benue earlier confirmed 10 people killed in a fresh round of violence in north-central Nigeria, days after authorities blamed herders for the killing of at least 21 people in two local government areas.

Moses Iyamu, a police spokesman, said Saturday that the killings occurred in the farming village of Tse Akombo in the Mbamiage district ward of Logo -- one of the two council areas also hit last week.

The victims of the killings ranged from a 7-year-old child to a 70-year-old man, according to Iyamu.

A riot police team has been deployed in the area, he added.

Violence between herders and farmers has become a serious problem in Nigeria, especially in the mainly agrarian north-central or Middle Belt, with both sides often trading accusations.

Many state governments, such as Benue, have responded with anti-grazing laws, which herders consider unfair.

Experts have blamed the crisis on the depleting Lake Chad and the government's failure to address problems of scarcity, leading to violent competition for land between farmers and herders.