They carried, Bibles, wooden crosses, branches of mango trees, pictures of the dead and placards proclaiming: "Stop killing our future; Bloodshed in the Plateau state must stop." and chanting: "No more soldiers."

In a statement, Christian pastor Esther Ebanga told the crowds of women: "Enough is enough. All we are asking is that our children and women should not be killed any more. We demand justice,"

Risika Razak, one of the leaders of the protest, said she wanted to show the government that "things are not going right".

"They should beef up security in troubled areas so that we would be able to know that people that go to bed will wake up the next day and life will continue," she said.

Officials and religious leaders have accused the military of not acting quickly enough to prevent the massacre.

But on Thursday, the commander of the regional task force, Major General Salih Maina, rebuffed the criticism.

He said the army was told of the violence only after it had happened.

The authorities have arrested about 200 people and charged 49 with murder.

Although the clashes take place between Muslims and Christians, observers say the underlying causes are economic and political issues.