Armed herdsmen have reportedly used their guns to kill 20 farmers and injured eight people during the weekend in a mosque in Niger State.

The state’s Police spokesperson Bala Elkana who confirmed the incident on Monday, said the attack occurred at about 05:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Saturday at Epogi community, in the Mokwa area of the state.

Elkana said: “It was a clash between farmers and herders which had been initially handled but some herders felt unsatisfied and … they launched a reprisal attack on some villagers praying in a mosque.”

Three suspects had been arrested. However, frequent clashes between herdsmen and mostly rural farmers have claimed hundreds of lives especially in middle belt and other parts of northern Nigeria since last year.