The military says herder militia, cattle rustling and a combination of other factors are responsible for the crisis which has engulfed the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, stated this on Thursday while addressing a news conference in Abuja on the activities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He, however, said special forces have been deployed to hot spots in the state to contain the situation.
General Buba said, “The situation was triggered by a number of factors including the attempted cattle rustling and the killing of a Mangu man by herder militia.”
He said it was reported that the man riding on a motorcycle along the road ran into a herd of cattle crossing the road on the 22nd of January 2024.
“The herders reportedly killed the man on the spot. Consequently, militia mobilised and attacked residents in the early hours of 23rd of January,” he said.
General Buba added that the Defence Headquarters would meet with the Chairman of the Christian Association Of Nigeria in the local government, Revd Timothy Daluk, over his recent comment accusing the military of supervising the killings of Christians and the destruction of properties in the state.
Over 30 persons were killed in the fresh attack with many injured and many houses burnt. Governor Caleb Mutfwang has since imposed a curfew on the LGA.
