The death toll from a bomb blast that struck a group of herders in Nasarawa State has risen to 40 from 27, the state government said Thurs...
The death toll from a bomb blast that struck a group of herders in Nasarawa State has risen to 40 from 27, the state government said Thursday.
The explosion on Wednesday took place in Rukubi, a village on the border between Nasarawa and Benue states, a region known for ethnic and religious violence.
“We now have approximately 40 people that were killed,” Nasarawa’s governor Abdullahi Sule told reporters on Thursday.
“The rumour earlier was that the air force carried out the bombing but right now we understand that there was no air force plane that flew (above) the area,” Sule said on Arise News television late Wednesday.
“Instead it was a drone that flew (above) the area and dropped the bomb,” Sule said, without specifying who was operating the aircraft.
An umbrella group representing herders had said the explosion was caused by a Nigerian military jet.
“We all know it is only the military that possesses jets to carry out aerial strikes,” Lawal Dano of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria said Wednesday, calling for a government investigation.
Nigeria’s air force spokesman did not respond to AFP requests for comment.
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