It is estimated that 54 individuals including dozens of cattle herders were killed and several injured by a bomb blast in Nigeria’s north-central region.
Nasarawa governor Abdullahi Sule confirmed to reporters that a bomb blast was responsible for the deaths.
He did not say who was believed to be behind the explosion but said he had been meeting with security agencies “to ensure that we continue to douse the tension” that could be caused by the incident.
North central Nigeria, also known as the Middle Belt, is prone to violence due to clashes between Fulani pastoralists and farmers, who are mainly Christian.
The governor’s spokesperson Abubakar Ladan told Reuters that mass burials for those killed were held earlier on Wednesday.
The spokesperson of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Tasi’u Suleman, said a group of Fulani herders were moving their cattle to Nasarawa from Benue, where authorities had confiscated the animals for breaching anti-grazing laws, when an explosion rocked the area.
“At least about 54 people died instantly. Those who were injured were countless,” Suleman said.
