Armed men killed at least 20 people in Nigeria’s northwestern Niger state, residents and humanitarian sources said, and several more were abducted.
The assault took place in Shiroro district, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) or a four-hour drive from the capital, Abuja. Kidnapping gangs and Islamist militants are active in the area.
Gunmen attacked the villages of Bagna and Erena on Tuesday, Niger state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said. Abiodun gave a death toll of three — two community guards and a driver — but multiple local sources, including residents, a health facility and a community group, told media the toll was far higher, at about 20.
Attackers destroyed homes and forced many residents to flee to neighboring villages. Witnesses said the raiders, who arrived on motorbikes, operated for several hours and overwhelmed local security forces. “They came on motorbikes and began shooting. It was a surprise attack, because it was in the early hours of the morning,” resident Jibrin Isah told the Associated Press.
Local clergy and officials say the violence is part of a wider spike: over 40 people were killed across several remote villages in northwest Nigeria this week, beginning late Sunday. At least nine villages in Kebbi and Niger states were affected.
No group has claimed responsibility, but residents and police blamed Mahmuda, a local jihadist faction that split from Boko Haram and has since allied with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Local clergy told AFP the attackers struck indiscriminately. “They killed everybody in sight, they killed Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers,” one Christian leader said.
Edited by: Kieran Burke