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KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Community violence in the state of Kaduna, northern Nigeria, has left 55 people dead, the local police commissioner said on Sunday.
Ahmad Abdur-Rahman, in a telephone interview, said the clashes between two communities in the Kasuwan Magani area in southern Kaduna had resulted in 22 arrests. He did not give details of the cause of the conflict, but tensions and ethnic clashes have affected this part of the state in recent years.
"Anyone with a hand in this crisis has to deal with the anger of the law," Abdur-Rahman said. He added that a curfew at Kasuwan Magani imposed Thursday by the state government had helped calm the situation.
Hundreds of people were killed this year in outbreaks of violence in Nigeria. Security has become a key campaign issue in the run-up to the February 2019 elections, during which President Muhammadu Buhari will run for a second term.
The presidency condemned the violence in a statement released late Saturday. "The frequent use of bloodshed by Nigerians about misunderstandings that can be peacefully resolved is worrying," spokesman Buhari spokesman Garba Shehu said.
Last year, additional troops and police were deployed in southern Kaduna in response to an outbreak of violence.
Report by Garba Muhammad; Additional reports by Felix Onuah in Abuja; Written by Alexis Akwagyiram; Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky
