A statement released by President Muhammadu Buhari's office on Tuesday stated that at least 45 farmers were killed in the violence that started on Friday. It was reported that dozens more people were injured.

Local police said the violence broke out when armed Fulani herders attacked villagers from the Tiv ethnic group over the killing of a kinsman that they blamed on Tiv farmers. 

The unrest continued until Sunday. The police initially gave a death toll of eight.

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Ramhan Nansel, a spokesman for the Nasarawa state police, said earlier that military and police teams had been dispatched to the region to restore peace and apprehend the criminals.

“We received a complaint on the killing of a Fulani herdsman but while the investigation was ongoing, a reprisal attack was carried out in Hangara village and neighboring Kwayero village,” said Ramhan Nansel, adding that “eight people were killed in the attacks and their bodies were recovered by the police and taken to hospital.”

The death toll, according to Peter Ahemba of the Tiv Development Association, is much higher.

“We recovered more than 20 corpses of our people killed in the attacks in 12 villages across Lafia, Obi and Awe districts where around 5,000 were displaced,” he said, adding that many people were still missing.

It is worth mentioning that droughts, population increase, the development of sedentary farming into communal areas, and bad governance all contributed to the conflict, which dates back to over a century.