Death toll in bomb attack on Nigerian herders climbs to 40: Official

LAGOS, Nigeria

The death toll from a bomb blast that struck a group of herders and their cattle in Nigeria's Nasarawa state has risen to 40, an official said Thursday.

The Secretary-General of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Usman Baba-Ngelzerma, said 40 corpses were recovered from the site of the bomb attack in the village of Rukubi in the Doma Local Government Area of the north-central state.

"The people involved in the incident are 40. A total of 40 died as a result of the bomb," Baba-Ngelzerma told a local TV station.

Some members of MACBAN had blamed a military airstrike for the incident.

The country's Director of Defense Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Musa Danmadami, exonerated the military, however. He said they were not involved in the alleged airstrike or bomb attack on the herders even though troops carry out operations against bandits in the area.

"The Armed Forces of Nigeria is professional. The conduct of our operations are intelligence-driven," he added.

Nigeria is bedeviled with the challenges of insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, armed conflict and kidnapping.

LAGOS, Nigeria

The death toll from a bomb blast that struck a group of herders and their cattle in Nigeria's Nasarawa state has risen to 40, an official said Thursday.

"The people involved in the incident are 40. A total of 40 died as a result of the bomb," Baba-Ngelzerma told a local TV station.

Some members of MACBAN had blamed a military airstrike for the incident.

"The Armed Forces of Nigeria is professional. The conduct of our operations are intelligence-driven," he added.

Nigeria is bedeviled with the challenges of insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, armed conflict and kidnapping.