Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
At least 48 people have been killed in a brutal communal clash between Fulani herders and Kamuku farmers in Tegina, a town in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, according to police and multiple reports from the scene. The violence, which erupted on the morning of July 1, 2026, marks one of the deadliest outbreaks of intercommunal violence in the state this year.
Niger State Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the incident, stating that authorities are still compiling casualty figures and would provide updates as they become available.
Residents told Premium Times that the violence began early Wednesday morning when machete-wielding Fulani herders stormed a Kamuku community, killing 42 people. The victims were predominantly women, children, and the elderly. In a subsequent retaliatory attack, members of the Kamuku group killed six herders working on a nearby plantation, bringing the total death toll to 48. Graphic images shared by residents showed victims who had been hacked to death or burned.
The clash is the latest and most deadly in a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the two groups that began in May 2026. According to Premium Times, the initial conflict was sparked by a monetary donation made by Senator Sani Musa, representing the Niger East District. The money was intended for the community and was distributed through a Fulani leader, Muhammed Shehu. Shehu was later found dead near an office used by a local vigilante group dominated by the Kamuku people. The herders accused the vigilantes of murdering Shehu over the money and launched retaliatory attacks, targeting individuals of Kamuku extraction on sight.
At least eight bodies from both sides were buried following that initial outbreak of violence in May.
The latest attack has left the community in shock. "Numerous people from the outskirts of Tegina, where such attacks are frequent, are currently fleeing to the town centre for safety," a resident, Ibrahim Musa, told Premium Times. The attackers also burned houses, silos, and vehicles belonging to the victims' families.
Tegina town, located in the Nigerian North-Central zone, has a long history of security challenges. In May 2021, 136 children were abducted at the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina. Three months earlier, 27 students were abducted at Government Science College in nearby Kagara. However, community members say that cattle herders and crop farmers in Tegina had previously enjoyed a cordial relationship, operating a mutually beneficial system. The recent violence has shattered that fragile peace.
Authorities have yet to announce any arrests, and the situation remains tense as displaced families seek refuge in the town centre. The police have promised to release further updates as investigations continue.
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