Attack In Central Nigeria Kills At Least Four

Attackers armed with guns and machetes killed at least four people in a village in central Nigeria on Monday, the latest in a series of religious and sectarian clashes in the region.

The attack took place in the early hours outside a science college in a village near Jos, the capital of Plateau state. Violence between Christian and Muslim gangs have killed more than 200 people in the region since December.

A lecturer at the college, attended mostly by Christian students, said six people were killed and several more wounded when armed Muslim youths stormed the village.

The military confirmed the clash but said fewer had died.

"Four people were killed in the attack. My men are right now combing the area," Special Task Force Commander General Hussan Umaru told Reuters.

Sectarian clashes in the "Middle Belt", the central region around Jos, have killed thousands over the past decade.

The cycle of violence consists largely of acts of retribution against both Muslims and Christians, who are targeted simply because of their religious or ethnic identity.

Hundreds died in clashes early last year and the violence flared up again in late December after a series of bombs during Christmas Eve celebrations.

The tensions are rooted in resentment between mainly Christian ethnic groups, who consider themselves indigenous to the region, and settlers, largely from the Muslim north, who came in search of jobs and fertile farmland.