At least 30 killed in Nigeria's Benue state

ABUJA (Reuters) - At least 30 people have been killed in Nigeria's Benue state, after suspected bandits attacked a village, the state information commissioner said on Friday.

Benue State Commissioner for Information, Matthew Aboh, told reporters that bandits attacked Ayati village on Thursday night and that 30 had been confirmed dead, with a search for more bodies ongoing.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the attack but Benue police spokesperson Sewuese Anene, said gunmen arrived and started shooting, killing several people.

Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia, condemned the attack.

Benue is one of Nigeria's Middle Belt states, where the majority Muslim North meets the predominantly Christian South.

Competition over land use is particularly intractable in the Middle Belt, where faultlines between farmers and herders often overlap with ethnic and religious divisions.

(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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