Police break up Nigeria protest after deadly attack

Nigerian police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the central city of Makurdi on Sunday as anger mounted over the killing of at least 45 people by gunmen in a nearby town.

Gunmen attacked the village of Yelewata on Friday night in a region that has seen a surge in violence.

Police fired tear gas to break up a protest by thousands of people, witnesses said, as demonstrators called on Benue state's governor to act swiftly to halt the cycle of violence.

"The protesters were given specific time by the security to make their peaceful protest and disperse," Tersoo Kula, the governor's spokesperson, told AFP.

John Shiaondo, a local journalist, said he was covering the "peaceful protest" when the police moved in and started firing tear gas.

"Many people ran away for fear of injuries, and I also left the scene for my safety," he told AFP.

Joseph Hir, who took part in the protest, said people were protesting the continued killings in Benue when the police intervened.

"We are not abusing any one, we are also not tampering with anybody's property, we are discharging our rights to peacefully protest the unabated killings of our people, and now the police are shooting tear gas at us," he told AFP.

Kula confirmed 45 deaths in Friday's attack, though residents said the toll could exceed 100.

Amnesty International also put the death toll at more than 100.

The rights group called the attack "horrifying", saying it "shows the security measures (the) government claims to be implementing in the state are not working".

Pope Leo XIV also condemned the killings during his Sunday prayer in Rome, calling it a "terrible massacre" in which mostly displaced civilians were murdered with "extreme cruelty".

Nigeria's federal government has yet to issue a statement on the attack.