On Friday, Nigerian police announced the arrest of seven suspects concerning the slaughter of dozens of villagers in central Plateau state.

According to state police spokesperson Alfred Alabo, security officers have restored peace to the affected communities of Kubwat and Fungzai in the distant Mangu area.

He stated that police would continue to monitor the area to prevent further attacks.

According to witnesses, gunmen stormed Mangu early Tuesday morning and began fire on civilians. They also set ablaze several residences before security personnel arrived.

Residents claimed that more than 100 individuals had been slaughtered and accused ethnic Fulani militias of the carnage.

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Alabo stated that emotions in the area had been high before the attacks due to grazing land issues between farmers and herders.


He told VOA over the phone that he was unsure of the death toll.

"It's a place riddled with crisis," he explained. "You can't just jump to conclusions and give figures." They told me over 30 people then, so we'll find out more."

According to residents, thousands of people who fled their houses to avoid the violence have yet to return to the villages.

However, Alabo stated that the situation had been brought under control. "We have so far been able to calm the situation in that general area," he explained. "However, we're still keeping an eye on things." We already have some suspects in jail as part of Operation Safe Haven."

Communic disputes over scant grazing land and water resources have plagued Nigeria's central region for decades. The conflicts have had the most significant impact on Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau states.

Amnesty International condemned the killings and demanded accountability on Thursday. The police have pledged to continue their investigation.


 "A large number of individuals were slain. What I witnessed in that location was a huge tragedy. Approximately 100 people were killed, many were relocated, and several are hospitalized."

Nigerian officials are struggling to keep a wave of violence from sweeping the country.

On Tuesday, police said they were probing a shooting last week in an agricultural hamlet in Nasarawa state that killed 15 people.

According to police, the killings looked to be in reprisal for the death of an ethnic Fulani herder who was attacked days previously.