15 killed in Nigeria communal clashes

At least 15 people were confirmed killed following two separate communal clashes in Nigeria's northeastern state of Gombe since the beginning of the week, reported Xinhua, quoting local officials.

The clashes involved peoples of the Waja and Lunguda ethnic groups in neighboring towns of the state's Balanga local government area on Monday night, the police said.

Many houses were also razed in the melee at the Hemen and Nyuwar communities, Gombe police chief Ishola Babaita said when visiting the areas on Tuesday.

The clashes are believed to be reprisals on a farmland tussle between the Waja and Lungunda ethnic groups that began in the neighboring state of Adamawa in 2017, Babaita said.

Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the governor of Gombe, told reporters in Balanga on Wednesday that a 24-hour curfew has been imposed in the local government area following the clashes.

"You all can see the level of damage. Here in the Hemen community, seven people have died, and in Nyuwar, eight people died, totaling 15 people so far," Yahaya said.

The governor said the suspected attackers crossed from the neighboring state of Adamawa to wreak havoc on Monday night, adding security personnel have already been deployed to restore normalcy while the curfew will subsist until further notice.