With close to 200 deaths so far recorded as a result of renewed Muslim-Christian clashes in the central city of Jos in Plateau state, vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan has ordered troops to the state to restore peace.

National Security Adviser Sarki Mukthar told reporters that "the military have moved in concert with the police to normalise the situation" in the city. He also said the vice president had ordered security chiefs to "immediately move to Jos, to assess the situation".

Fresh violence broke out in the one of Nigeria's largest cities between Christians and Muslims early Tuesday morning after a day calm following violent attacks on Sunday. The state's commissioner for information, Gregory Yenlong announced a 24-hour curfew on the state and directed non-essential workers to vacate their offices.

Dead bodies
"We received 156 dead bodies this morning and another 36 this afternoon, in total we have 192 dead bodies" said Balarabe Dawud, the head of the central mosque in Jos.

The fighting had started on Sunday when some youth protested the renovation of a building damaged in a Christian-majority area during an earlier crisis in 2008 in which close to 200 lives were lost. Houses and vehicles were set ablaze during Sunday's violence and the state governor, Jonah Jang imposed a 12-hour curfew on the state capital that day. Police were deployed on the streets Monday to enforce the curfew invoked on Sunday and it appeared that peace had been restored to the city.

The Red Cross said more than a hundred people were seriously injured in the fighting and 3,000 people were displaced in Sunday's clashes.

Trapped
Unconfirmed reports from Kuru Jenta, a village on the outskirts of Jos claimed that the village had been set on fire Tuesday, and the Muslims in the village had been surrounded. It is unclear what their fate has been. NEXT also gathered that about thirty National Youth Service Corps members were holed up without food at a Christian corps member's fellowship building in Jos.

The National Youth Service Corp Director-General, Ismaila Tsiga had on Monday threatened to withdraw all corps members serving in Plateau state after the violence broke out on Sunday. Three male corps members were murdered in the state during the 2008 violent clashes.

Plateau state governor, Jonah Jang is expected to make a public address on Tuesday night.