JOS, Sept 9 – An attack on a village in central Nigeria killed nine people including seven siblings in an area beset by sectarian violence, a government official said Friday.
“Nine people died in the attack, eight are of the same family, a father and seven of his children. A neighbour was also affected in the attack,” Pam Ayuba, spokesmam to the Plateau state governor told AFP.
Five of those killed are under 10 years of age, he said.
The attack occured in Barkin Ladi, an area dominated by a mainly Christian ethnic group on the outskirts of Jos city.
Jos has been hit by waves of violence between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups that have left hundreds dead in recent years.
There has been a fresh flare up of violence over the last two weeks or so, and community groups claim dozens were killed in separate attacks last week.
Jos lies in the Middle Belt region between the predominately Christian south and mainly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous nation.
Ayuba said the latest attacks appeared to be driven by the need for grazing land. Christian ethnic groups are usually into farming of staple food crops while Muslim ethnic groups, especially the Fulani, are more nomadic cattle rearers.
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