Abuja : There was no indication the attack had anything to do with Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in a six-year insurgency mostly in the far north of Nigeria.
"It is the longstanding issue over grazing rights and cattle rustling between Egba and Fulani people," police spokesman Ezeala Austin said by telephone.
Fears are that tensions in the Middle Belt could be exploited by politicians if the presidential election on March 28 is disputed, triggering deadly unrest, as happened in 2011.
The vote pits incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, against former military leader Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim.
However, Interior Minister Abba Moro told national radio today, "The killings in Egba have nothing to do with the upcoming elections."
Cattle herders killed 82 people and wounded 25 in a village in central Nigeria over grazing rights, police said today, less than two weeks before a national election in which political and ethnic tensions are running high.
Police went on Monday to investigate the attack by Muslim Fulani herdsmen on the mostly Christian Egba ethnic group at the weekend in the remote village Agatu Iga in Benue state, in the flashpoint "Middle Belt" of Africa's most populous nation.
Hundreds have been killed in the past year in clashes between the semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani and the more settled communities that practice a mix of farming and cattle rearing.
"It is the longstanding issue over grazing rights and cattle rustling between Egba and Fulani people," police spokesman Ezeala Austin said by telephone.
Advertisement
The vote pits incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, against former military leader Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2015
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Meta Removes 63,000 Accounts Involved In "Sextortion" Scams From Nigeria EU’s MiCA Inspires Nigerian Policy Analyst to Urge for Similar Crypto Legislation: Report 18 Killed, 42 Injured In Series Of Suicide Attacks In Nigeria 3 Students Dead After Flooding In Delhi Coaching Centre Basement At Olympics Opening Ceremony, Drag Parody Of 'The Last Supper' Draws Flak Children Of Indian-Americans Face Deportation As Time Runs Out "It's British. We're Used To Rain": UK PM Shrugs Off Paris Olympics Photo Will Quit Politics If Attempts Are Made To Disturb Reservation: Praful Patel DSSSB Exam Schedule 2024 Released For Recruitment To Various Posts Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.