The acting President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan has placed the security forces in the center of the country on full alert following a fresh wave of sectarian violence near the city of Jos. Witnesses say they saw more than 100 corpses, many of them women and children in the village Dogo-Nahawa, just a few kilometers from the city. With more, here is Richard Hamilton.

Reports say the attack happened at about three in the morning local time when gangs of men descended on the village and attacked people with machetes. One eyewitness said he saw scores of dead bodies including those of children. The military which already has a presence in Jos has sent troops to the village. The attack seems to be a reprisal for earlier incidents in January when Christians and Muslims clashed, claiming the lives of at least 200 people and displacing thousands of others.