Simon Lalong, governor of Plateau State in central Nigeria, announced a 6 pm to 6 am curfew in Jos Nord, Basa and Jos Sud districts on Sunday, following an attack a day earlier against a convoy of Muslim pilgrims, At least 23 left dead.

The attack took place on the outskirts of the state capital Jose. Police say a group of mostly Christian youths from Irigwe may be behind the attack. He announced the arrest of 20 suspects.

The Muslim pilgrim convoy consisted of five buses with a total of 90 passengers. In his statement, Governor Lalong underlined that “twenty-three of the attackers lost their lives and 23 were injured”. He justified the curfew decision with “reports of persistent tension and attempts by some to enforce the law themselves”.

The official called for calm and invited all residents of his state to refrain from any such initiative that could worsen the situation.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the “shameless attack with bad intentions”.

On 10 August, three women from the Irrigue community were killed on their farms. Police suspect a link between the incident and the attack on Saturday. Jos is often the scene of conflict between nomadic herders, mainly Muslim and Christian farmers, who compete for land and water. Any disagreement between them creates the possibility of new tensions.