Protesters condemn killings in Plateau, Nigeria

Scores of people staged a peaceful protest in Plateau state capital Jos on Thursday over a spate of killings in the central Nigerian region.

More than 100 people have been killed and over 3,000 displaced following days of attacks on several villages in the state’s Mangu district, according to the emergency services and local officials.

The clashes between cattle herders and farming communities are the worst in years in a region that has long struggled with ethnic and religious tensions.

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On Thursday, around 250 villagers led by church leaders, marched through Jos, the state capital denouncing the killings.

They also carried placards, urging the authorities to stop the killings and arrest the perpetrators.

Unity in Plateau

“I call on the people of Plateau that it is time to fight and save our state”, said Prophet Isa El-buba, spokesman for the protesters.

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“The whole of Plateau must unite and fight back”, he said, adding many villages have been attacked in recent weeks.

“It was first Tarok then Berom followed by the Irigwes and Bokkos, now it is Mwaghavul.”

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Plateau state security forces said calm had been restored, but local sources said several villages were still struggling with violence and residents fleeing.

“The number of people killed has exceeded 100 people from those attacks,” Mangu district chairman Daput Minister Daniel told AFP.

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said more than 3,000 people had been displaced and hundreds of houses destroyed.

Violence across Nigeria has been on the rise since a calm period during the February presidential and March state elections.