At least, 96 people were killed in Benue State when several villages were attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen, a state police spokesman and an army source said on Tuesday.

Hundreds are killed each year in clashes pitting the semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani people against more settled communities that practice a mix of farming and cattle rearing. The clashes are always driven by disputes centred on land use.

A senior military officer said fighting around five villages lasted several days in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue. Police spokesman, Austine Ezeani, said a mobile police unit was deployed in the area.

Credit: punchng