WARRI, Nigeria (AP) — Mourners have gathered in Nigeria for a mass funeral for more than 70 people killed in a series of attacks blamed on Fulani herdsmen who oppose a new anti-grazing law.

Tensions over land between farmers and herders led to a week of bloodshed in Nigeria's Benue state in the northcentral part of the country earlier this month. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

On Thursday, Gov. Samuel Ortom vowed to continue implementing the law aimed at protecting farmland from grazing animals.

More than 500 people have been killed in clashes between Fulani herdsmen and Benue communities over the past four years. The federal government has proposed establishing a grazing colony for the herdsmen to solve the crisis, but people in Benue have rejected the idea.