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At least 18 people died Tuesday evening, January 11, and dozens of houses were set on fire in the attack on a village in central Nigeria, said a resident and the head of a local association.
Authorities confirmed that an attack had occurred in the village of Ancha, in Plateau state, claiming that many people had lost their lives, but could not provide an accurate toll. “Our village was attacked during the night, and we counted 18 dead”, said Dickon Auta, a villager contacted by phone by AFP. “I participated in the evacuation of the bodies. Many other people were injured during the attack and are now taken care of and treated in the local dispensary ”, he added.
Davidson Malison, the head of the Irigwe community association, which includes the village of Ancha, also said that “18 people had been killed” and “Six other wounded” in this attack. He said in a statement that more than 24 houses had been set on fire, as well as many vehicles.
He accused the Fulani herders of being behind the attack. The local Fulani herders’ association deplored the attack and refuted the accusations made against its community. “It is really problematic that every time the Irigwe are attacked or killed, they accuse us so quickly”Muhammad Nuru Abdullah said in a statement.
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong said the attack had “Causes several deaths”, lamenting “An endless cycle of violent attacks” in the zone. The Nigerian military said troops had been deployed to the village, but the attackers fled before they arrived. “Houses were destroyed and villagers lost their lives”, according to her.
This attack is the latest in a long series in this region, the scene for years of clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers for access to land. But local officials say the recent attacks are the work of criminals – called locally «bandits» that are rampant in the north and center of the country – rather than related to religion or natural resources.