Suspected herdsmen run rampage on Niger mosque, kill 20 farmers
No fewer than twenty (20) farmers were killed by suspected Fulani cattle herders in Niger state on Saturday, AFP reports.
The killers were said to have launched an attack while the farmers prayed in a mosque in Etogi village.
The farmers and herders have a long standing dispute over land ownership.
“The gunmen opened fire on the worshippers inside the mosque during morning prayers and killed all the 20 worshippers,” Niger state police spokesperson, Bala Elkana said.
“They later shot sporadically on the village, injuring eight people.”
Ekana added that the attack was suspected to be a revenge attack after farmers killed one herder in a clash days earlier.
The herders were said to have reached an agreement with the community to be allowed to farm and raise their cattle, while giving a portion of their harvest as appreciation.
Police say they reneged on the agreement this year, refusing to pay the tax and instead claiming that the land belongs to them.
“This led to a clash in which one herder was killed. The (latest) attack was to avenge the death,” Elkana explained.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence.
Deadly clashes between herders and farmers in Nigeria over land and water rights are frequent, with many degenerating into ethnic and religious clashes.
