Nigeria cattle feud: Villagers killed in Plateau state

Gunmen in central Nigeria have attacked three villages killing at least 28 residents in a feud over cattle, a military spokesman has told the BBC. Capt Salisu Mustapha said the security forces responded, killing 20 gunmen. He said Fulani herdsmen were thought to be behind the attack on the Taroh community in Plateau state after hundreds of their cattle were stolen. Two villages in a nearby Fulani and Hausa community were subsequently burnt and the residents had fled, he said. The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, says disputes over cattle and pasture often raise ethnic tensions.

But an attack of such ferocity is unusual in the remote area, which is about 240km (150 miles) south of Jos, he says. A Fulani spokesman in the area denied the military's allegations that the mainly Muslim community was involved in the attack. Sanihu Jauro said that about 1,000 head of cattle had been stolen earlier this week from Fulani herdsmen and repeated complaints to the authorities had failed to elicit help. continued