At least 18 people were killed in protracted clashes related to a land dispute this week in the north-central region of Nigeria, police reported Thursday.
The killings occurred in the Rafi area of Niger State between Monday and Wednesday and involved gun attacks and arson, according to police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun. Two people were killed on Monday, which Abiodun said set off violence on Wednesday in which 15 people were burned to death in a house, and another person was killed elsewhere.
Abiodun stated that the violence was linked to "a lingering land dispute between two tribes." A reconciliation committee comprising local government council officials is working with security agencies to address the crisis, he added. Joint police and military patrols have been deployed to the area to restore peace.
Communal clashes over land resources are common in parts of Nigeria. Niger State is also a region where gunmen frequently kidnap people for ransom and impose taxes on farming communities. This incident follows a separate event just days prior, in which 36 students were kidnapped in the northeastern part of the country.