Seven killed in Nigeria violence

At least seven people were killed and many houses were razed in a violent attack that took place overnight in Nigeria's northeastern state of Taraba, police said Wednesday.

Irked by the recent attacks attributed to herdsmen, a group of youths went on rampage in Wukari town, which is mostly populated by the shepherds, Xinhua quoted state police spokesperson Joseph Kuwaji as saying.

Recently, hundreds of people had been allegedly killed by herdsmen, who were accused of fomenting troubles in various communities across the northern part of the West African country.

"I can confirm to you that seven people died in the violence, while many others had various degrees of injuries," said Kuwaji, while confirming the incident as a reprisal attack on the herdsmen.

The crisis was neither religious nor political, added the senior police officer. He said a detachment of security operatives had been deployed to restore normalcy in the restive community.

Nigeria, with a population of approximately 170 million, is facing major security challenges which are crippling economic activities in some states.

The northern part of the country is plagued by violence, including attacks by the Boko Haram sect. The southern part is said to be a hub of criminal activities including oil theft or bunkering, kidnapping and armed robbery attacks.

Communal clashes often paralyse commercial activities in the central state of Plateau, which shares borders with many northern states, whereas pockets of violence in the north central state of Benue are mostly attributed to herdsmen.