ABUJA, July 2 — At least 18 people have been killed in violent clashes over a land dispute in Nigeria’s central state of Niger since the beginning of this week, police said on Thursday.
Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police, told Xinhua by telephone that the violence in the Angwan-Baago community of Rafi Local Government Area began on Monday and escalated on Wednesday.
According to Abiodun, the clashes were triggered by a long-running land dispute between two ethnic groups in the area and subsequently escalated into wider violence.
He said a reconciliation committee led by officials of the local government council was working with security agencies to address the crisis, while joint security personnel comprising police and military forces had been deployed to the affected area to restore order. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
