23 people were killed on Saturday when a convoy carrying attendees of a Muslim religious festival was ambushed in Plateau State in Nigeria.
The attack took place near the provincial capital of Jos.
It is not entirely clear who was behind the attack, although some media have reported that it may have been a Christian militia. A number of suspects have been arrested.
Speaking about the matter, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said: ‘It is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers, not an opportunist ambush.’
He added that it was ‘a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing.’
Tensions between ethnic and religious groups in Nigeria sometimes escalate into violence.
Plateau state governor Simon Lalong, however, attempted to downplay the sectarian dimensions, describing the attack in these terms: ‘This is purely a criminal conduct and should not be given any ethnic or religious colouration.’
[Photo: Reuters]