Witnesses say the motorcycle riding gunmen attacked three communities in northern Nigeria, killing and abducting dozens.
Gunmen on motorcycles have rampaged through three villages in northern Nigeria, killing at least 32 people and abducting several more, according to witnesses and local police.
The raids on Saturday in the Borgu area of Niger State came amid a complex security crisis in northern Nigeria, featuring armed groups affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) as well as gangs that abduct people for ransom money.
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Wasiu Abiodun, the Niger State police spokesperson, confirmed the attack in one of the villages.
“Suspected bandits invaded Tunga-Makeri village,” he said. “Six persons lost their lives, some houses were also set ablaze, and a yet-to-be ascertained number of persons were abducted.”
He added that the assailants had moved on to Konkoso village, while details of other attacks remained unclear.
Jeremiah Timothy, a resident of Konkoso, told the Reuters news agency that the attack on his village began in the early hours with sporadic gunfire.
“At least 26 people were killed so far in the village after they set the police station ablaze,” said Timothy, adding that the attackers entered Konkoso around 6am (05:00 GMT), shooting indiscriminately.
He said residents heard military jets flying overhead.
Abdullahi Adamu, another resident of Konkoso, said 26 people were killed. “They were operating freely without the presence of any security,” he told The Associated Press news agency.
The AFP news agency, citing an unnamed humanitarian source, put the death toll in Konkoso at 38. The source said the victims were shot dead or had their throats slit.
Most of the homes in the village were burned down, and apart from those already counted as dead, “other bodies are being recovered”, the source told AFP.
The agency cited a Konkoso resident as saying that the gunmen had killed his nephew and abducted four women.
“After Konkoso, they went to Pissa, where they set a police station on fire and killed one person.”
“At the moment, many people are missing,” he said.
The AP also reported an attack in Pissa, without providing details.
The attacks in Niger State followed a deadly attack by armed fighters earlier this month in neighbouring Kwara and Katsina states that killed nearly 200 people.
The border between Niger and Kwara states is home to the Kainji Forest, a known haven for bandits and fighters, including from the armed group Boko Haram. Last October, the al-Qaeda affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) also claimed responsibility for its first attack on Nigerian soil, near Woro, in Kwara State.
Religious and community leaders from the Borgu area in Niger State last week called on President Bola Tinubu to establish a military base in the area to put an end to the recurring attacks, Nigerian media reported.
Nigeria is also under pressure to restore security since United States President Donald Trump accused it last year of failing to protect Christians.
Authorities, however, denied that there is systematic persecution of Christians, while independent experts say Nigeria’s security crises kill both Christians and Muslims, often without distinction.
Nigeria’s government, meanwhile, has stepped up cooperation with Washington to improve security, and in December, the US military carried out air strikes in Sokoto State, targeting what Washington said were armed fighters.