Nigerian authorities sent in troops today to restore order in the central city of Jos after clashes between Christians and Muslims left the streets littered with corpses, witnesses said.
Soldiers have been patrolling the streets and removing dead bodies from the streets since morning, one resident told
Reuters
.
"I saw soldiers remove seven bodies from near the maternity hospital in the city stadium area," another resident said.
A Reutersreporter saw another seven bodies brought to the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Scores of wounded people crowded the casualty room, some with their eyes gouged out.
Residents counted the number of dead in scores, with some burned alive by roving bands of Christian or Muslim youths that have been active since the riots erupted yesterday.
Christian vigilante groups armed with axes, hammers and clubs spilled onto the streets today to guard churches. According to Christian sources, this followed an all night Muslim prayer call heard from mosques across the city which Christians took as a command for Islamic Jihad or holy war.
Shops and street markets were closed for the second day running and streets were completely deserted.
Police have yet to issue an official casualty toll from the violence, which prompted authorities to impose a night curfew yesterday.