JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) – More than 200 people were killed over the weekend in violence in central Nigeria’s Plateau state, the state governor said, making it one of the bloodiest clashes in the months leading up to an election.

Police previously said 86 had been killed.

There has been a spike in communal violence since the start of the year, which has led to hundreds of people being killed. Security concerns have become a major political issue for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has said he plans to seek a second term in elections scheduled for next February.

Late on Wednesday, the Nigeria Police Force said in an emailed statement that it was sending a special force to Plateau state to bolster security, which would include two police surveillance helicopters, five armored personnel carriers and extra officers from other states.

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