Men of the Nigerian army have arrested five persons accused of setting a Fulani community ablaze after herdsmen had attacked their own people.
The arrested men
The army has arrested five persons for setting a Fulani community, Dakali, ablaze in Adamawa, two days after suspected herdsmen attacked Dowayan village in Demsa Local Government Area of the state, Channels Television has reported.
The five persons were arrested by troops of the 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army which is based in Yola.
They are believed to have set the Fulani settlement on fire in reprisal for the attack on Dowaya in which at least 18 people were killed.
According to a colonel with the 23 Brigade, the suspect were sighted by the soldiers setting the buildings in the community of fire and apprehended with items, including one local pistol.
Other items recovered from them are a knife, four mobile phones, one empty 10-litre jerrican and more.
After arresting the suspects, the troops handed them to the Adamawa State Police Command for further investigation.
Suspected herdsmen had carried out a raid on Doyan village on Friday night, killing no fewer 18 people.
Residents of the village told Channels Television on Saturday that it was herdsmen that struck the village and that they came in around 8:00 pm, burning houses and destroying properties in addition to the killings.
Numan, Demsa and Girei Local Governments Areas in Adamawa State have previously been attacked by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
A day after the attack, suspected herdsmen struck again, albeit far away in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
It was a deadly attack and by Sunday night, the police confirmed that 86 persons where killed, while the Plateau State Government imposed a curfew on three local government areas to prevent reprisals and further escalation of violence.