At least 31 people have been killed and houses and vehicles were burnt after a disagreement over ownership of a football pitch set off sectarian violence in northern Nigerian state of Taraba, officials said today.
Violence erupted when Muslim and Christian football teams argued over which
team had the right to a football pitch.
"We have arrested more than forty people so far and we are doing everything possible to bring the crisis under control," state police spokesperson T Y Mohammed told PTI.
Thirty one people were killed in the violence.
Scores were also injured in the fracas which the state acting governor Garba Umar tried to quell by declaring a round-the-clock curfew in the Wukari city where the crisis emanated late yesterday.
Residents of Wukari were forced to flee their homes to take refuge in neighbouring towns.