KANO, Nigeria: Gunmen attacked three communities in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara State on Sunday, killing at least 48 people.
Bandits have terrorised Northwest and Central Nigeria for years, raidingmcommunities, stealing cattle, and kidnapping citizens for ransom.
Aminu Suleiman, administrative head of Bakura district, stated the bandits killed 48 people in the three villages (Damri, Sabon Garin and Kalahe) raided Friday afternoon.
Suleiman claimed dozens of militants on motorbikes attacked the three communities, shooting civilians fleeing.
In Damri, the gunmen murdered 32 people, including hospital patients, Suleiman told AFP.
“They set fire to a police car, killing two officers.”
Suleiman said troops engaged the assailants in a fire duel, forcing them to retreat.
A resident of Damri, Abubakar Maigoro, claimed the attackers shot first before plundering cattle and food.
“We buried 48 victims,” Maigoro added.
No reaction from Nigerian cops
However, criminals have recently increased their attacks despite military measures.
The bandits live in a large forest that straddles Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger.
In the last two months, they have abducted hundreds of travellers, slain over 100 peasants, and executed a dozen vigilantes.
Gunmen killed about 200 people in Zamfara in early January.
Bandits killed 2,600 people in 2021, up 250 percent from 2020, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a veteran army commander, has been under strong pressure to eliminate bandit violence before completing his second term next year.
According to the UN, over 11,000 people sought sanctuary in Niger in November because of the violence.
Bandits have displaced almost 700,000 people in Zamfara, requiring the opening of eight camps.
