Sectarian massacre in Nigeria's Plateau state
Nigerian authorities imposed a curfew in Jos, capital of north-central Plateau state, after at least 20 Muslim travelers passing through the city were massacred by a presumed Christian militia Aug. 14. The Muslims, mostly of the Fulani ethnicity, were in a convoy of vehicles, returning to their homes in Ondo and Ekiti states from a celebration in neighboring Bauchi state marking the start of Muharram, the Islamic new year. In Jos, the convoy was caught in a traffic jam, and the vehicles set upon by militiamen—the occupants slain with machetes, daggers and other weapons. The assailants were apparently Christians of the Irigwe ethnicity. Northern and central Nigeria have for years seen growing violence between Muslim semi-nomadic herders and Christian farmers over control of land and water.
However, authorities are saying that this attack was not spontaneous, but planned in advance. "It is clear this was a well-conceived and pre-arranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers, not an opportunist ambush," President Muhammadu Buhari said. Several arrests have been made. (BBC News, Reuters, WION, Sahara Reporters, Daily Trust, Abuja)
Gunmen kill 43 at village market in Nigeria's troubled northwest
Gunmen from a suspected criminal gang attacked the market at Goronyo village, in northwest Nigeria's Sokoto state, killing 43 people. (AFP)
Nigeria: 'bandits' kill hundreds after air-strikes
About 200 people were killed and 10,000 displaced by armed bandits in Nigeria's northwestern state of Zamfara last week after air-strikes on their forest hideouts by the military reportedly killed around 100 militants, including two of their leaders. (TNH)
More massacres in Nigeria's Plateau state
At least 50 people have been killed and dozens abducted in raids by gunmen on villages in Nigeria's Plateau state. Assailants also stole livestock and burnt down dozens of homes. (Al Jazeera, AfricaNews)
Dozens dead in Nigeria church attack
Dozens are believed dead after assailants attacked a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on June 5, firing on worshipers as they celebrated Mass. The attack at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, in Ondo state, was the deadliest attack on a church in Nigeria in years. As attackers opened fire on worshippers inside the church, other gunmen waited outside to kill those who tried to flee, church officials and witnesses said. (NYT, AP)
Deadly air-strikes in northwest Nigeria
At least 64 people were reportedly killed in a Nigerian military air-strike Dec. 18 at Mutumji community in Maru Local Government Area of northwestern Zamfara state. Residents said that many of those killed were armed militants, while others were civilian residents of the community, including women and children. (Premium Times)
Deadly air-strikes in north-central Nigeria
Nigerian government air-strikes apparently targeted pastoralist self-defense militias or "vigilantes" Jan. 25, leaving some 40 dead in Niger, Nasarawa and Benue states. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly raids, and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), mostly made up of Fulani pastoralists, is demanding accountability. (Sahara Reporters, Nigerian Observer, Daily Post, Daily Trust)
More massacres in Nigeria's Plateau state
Armed groups have killed more than 100 people in a string of attacks targeting towns across central Nigeria's Plateau state, where climate change and expanding agriculture has strained communities and increased tensions between Muslim herders and Christian farmers. (Al Jazeera)