Gunmen Kill Nearly 50 in Rural Nigeria Village

Local government officials reported on Friday that gunmen had assaulted a rural town in northern central Nigeria, murdering dozens of people.

The attack took place on Wednesday in the Benue State hamlet of Umogidi, where tit-for-tat fights between settled farmers and nomadic herders vying for resources and land are frequent.

"The victims' bodies that were discovered and collected contained 46 casualties. The number of those slain could be greater because many individuals are still unaccounted for, Paul Hemba, the governor of Benue State's security adviser, told AFP.

He attributed the attacks on local villages during the previous month to herdsmen.

"Soldiers have been sent to the area, so the atmosphere is a little more peaceful right now."

The attack's motivation is unknown, although Benue has been among the hardest impacted by conflicts between farmers and herders, who the farmers accuse of ruining farms by grazing their cattle.

The national herders' association's spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

The shooters struck on Wednesday afternoon while people were mourning the deaths of three additional individuals a day earlier, according to Bala Ejeh, chairman of the Otukpo local government.

He added that 46 dead, including those of his own kid and two relatives, had been found thus far.