More than 30 people have been killed in communal clashes in central Nigeria's Plateau State between herders and farmers, a local official said Tuesday.
Northwest and central Nigeria have long struggled with tensions and clashes between farmers and herders over water and land.
"The incident has affected more than 30 people, they lost their lives," Plateau State Commissioner of Information and Communication Dan Manjang told AFP, saying the clashes on Monday were "between herders and farmers".
Police said the violence took place "in various villages" in Bwoi, in Mangu district.
"At about 11:56 am (1056 GMT) a distress call was received," police spokesman Alfred Alabo said, with a report of gunmen "shooting sporadically".
Security officials were deployed to the area, he said in a statement, where they engaged the "hoodlums" -- a term used in Nigeria to describe criminals.
Tit-for-tat revenge killings have spiralled into broader criminality with gangs targeting neighbouring villages for raids, mass kidnappings and looting.
"As we speak, the culprits are on the run while our officers are still on their trail with the aim to ensure that they are neutralised and if possible, arrested," Alabo said.
The chairman of Mangu district has imposed a 24-hour curfew, he added, "to ensure that the crisis does not escalate to other areas".
The violence is just one of several security challenges facing president-elect Bola Tinubu when he takes the helm of Africa's most populous nation later this month.
Nigeria's military is also battling a grinding jihadist conflict in the northeast as well as simmering separatist tensions in the southeast.
