48 Killed as Fulani, Residents clash turns deadly in Niger community

At least 48 people have been killed following a violent clash between members of the Fulani and Kamuku ethnic groups in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

Residents said the violence erupted early Wednesday when machete-wielding herders allegedly attacked a Kamuku community, killing 42 people, most of them women, children and the elderly.

Witnesses said several victims were hacked to death, while others were reportedly burnt during the attack.

Graphic images shared by residents showed widespread destruction in the affected community.

A resident, Ibrahim Musa, said panic has spread across the area, forcing many people living on the outskirts of Tegina to flee to the town centre for safety.

According to him, members of the Kamuku community later carried out a reprisal attack, killing six herders who were working on a nearby plantation.

Residents said many of those killed in the initial attack belonged to the same extended family.

The attackers also reportedly set houses, grain silos and vehicles belonging to the family ablaze.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident.

He said the police were still compiling the casualty figures and promised to provide further details after receiving comprehensive reports from officers on the ground.

Crisis linked to earlier dispute

The latest violence is believed to be connected to tensions that began in May following the distribution of a monetary donation made by Senator Sani Musa, who represents Niger East Senatorial District.

The funds were reportedly meant for the community and were distributed through a Fulani leader, Muhammed Shehu.

However, Shehu was later found dead, with his body discovered near an office used by a local vigilante group dominated by members of the Kamuku ethnic group.

His death sparked accusations from Fulani herders, who alleged that the vigilantes were responsible for the killing over the donated money.

The incident triggered a wave of retaliatory attacks, with both communities reportedly targeting each other.

Earlier in May, armed herders also invaded a local market in Tegina, attacking vigilantes and disrupting commercial activities.

At least eight people were killed during that earlier outbreak of violence.

Renewed fears in Tegina

Tegina has remained one of the communities most affected by insecurity in Nigeria’s North-Central region.

The area has repeatedly suffered attacks by bandits, including mass kidnappings.

In May 2021, gunmen abducted 136 pupils from Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina.

Just months earlier, 27 students were kidnapped from Government Science College, Kagara, also in Niger State.

Despite years of peaceful coexistence between Fulani herders and Kamuku farmers, the renewed cycle of reprisals has severely damaged relations between both communities and heightened fears of further violence.

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