LAGOS, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities confirmed on Sunday that 16 people were killed and several others injured in attacks on several villages in north-central Nigeria's Plateau State.
State police spokesperson Terna Tyopev told reporters in Jos, the state capital, that a herdsman was arrested with an AK-47 assault rifle.
The attacks took place between Wednesday, March 7, and Friday, March 9, Tyopev said.
He said the herdsman, Muhammadu Musa Bimini, was arrested by mobile policemen on March 8.
Meanwhile, leaders of the affected communities have said that as many as 25 people were killed in the attacks.
The community leaders, who also briefed the media on Sunday in Jos, said many others are still missing.
The attacks occurred barely 24 hours after Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari left Jos, the state capital, after a one-day visit.
Plateau State is situated in Nigeria's middle belt where the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian-majority south meet.
On March 7, 2010, members of local Muslim and Christian communities fought each other in revenge for previous killings.
The state has witnessed some bomb blasts and constant rifts between Berom and Fulani herdsmen, with many, especially women and children, murdered in cold blood.
