At least 14 villagers were killed and ​several others injured in an attack in ‌Nigeria's Benue state on Tuesday, a local official said, extending a cycle of violence in the country's central ​belt linked to land and resource disputes.

Benue ​is a hotspot for violence between farmers ⁠and herders, with hundreds killed in recent ​years as farmers attack the cattle that destroy ​crops and herders attack the villages.

The latest attack occurred in Efeyi village in Benue state's Otukpo area early on ​Tuesday, with gunmen killing 14 people and ​wounding several others, Otukpo council chairman Maxwell Ogiri told ‌Reuters.

Ogiri ⁠blamed the attack on Fulani militia, saying the assailants struck without warning and that similar incidents had occurred in nearby communities in recent days.

Fulanis ​are nomadic ​herders from ⁠the Muslim north of Nigeria, while farmers are mostly from Christian ​communities.

Fulani associations have rejected such accusations of ​attacks in the past. No group claimed responsibility.

Benue police spokesperson Udeme Edet said officers had been deployed ⁠to ​the affected area and an ​investigation was underway.