Nigerian officials say violence in the country’s northern state of Kaduna has killed at least fifty-five people.
Two communities in the Kasuwan Magani area of southern Kaduna reportedly clashed days ago in what is considered ethnic oriented.
22 people have been arrested so far, a local police commissioner told Reuters on Sunday. A curfew has now been imposed on the area to calm tension.
Ahmad Abdur-Rahman is quoted as saying that “Anybody that has a hand in this crisis must face the full wrath of law.”
According to a local news website Today, the clashes were sparked after a young man, was caught stealing in the market.
The portal quotes a residents as saying that “What happened was that somebody was caught stealing in the market and he was being beaten, then suddenly some youths (belonging to his faith) started attacking those who were beating the thief”.
“The whole thing turned to a religious fight between Muslims and Christians. They started using dangerous weapons to attack each other and setting houses ablaze.
“A number of people were also killed. Security personnel have been deployed and the situation is under control” the resident further said.
Kasuwan Magani in Kaduna state is common for such ethnic and religious violence over the years. In other parts of Nigeria, such violent clashes do occur.
Source: Africafeeds.com
