At least 19 people were killed and several others injured in communal clashes on Sunda when men armed with guns and machetes attacked a village in Nigeria's northern Zamfara state.
The attackers besieged the village of Lingyado early today morning and went from house to house carrying out the attack, shooting and stabbing of the victims, said Sunusi Amiru, the police spokesperson for the state.
Villagers put the number of attackers at 150.
The army was deployed in the village to quell the attack which is suspected to be a reprisal for an earlier attack carried out in a neighbouring village.
Though communal attacks in some northern states of Nigeria are woven around religion, the cause of the present incident appears to be unclear.
Moreover, witnesses could not attribute the attack to radical Islamic sect Boko Haram, which has been responsible for several killings in the area in recent times.
Internecine conflicts predominant in central northern state of Plateau but there has been no large-scale communal clashes in Zamfara state which is popular for its strong attachment to Sharia law.
{{/usCountry}}Internecine conflicts predominant in central northern state of Plateau but there has been no large-scale communal clashes in Zamfara state which is popular for its strong attachment to Sharia law.
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