Abuja, April 20 -- Coordinated attacks by suspected armed herders in Nigeria's central state of Benue have left at least 56 people dead so far, as local security agencies and volunteers continue to comb nearby bushes for more bodies, a senior official has said.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, lamented the deadly attacks after an on-the-spot assessment of the havoc wreaked in communities in the Ukum local government area between Thursday and Friday night.

"Many more are, surely, expected because as we went there, they (local volunteers) were asking for some protection to get back to see how they can retrieve some bodies. So the numbers might even go up," Alia said while describing the incident as "devas...