New Delhi: At least 30 villagers were killed and several others abducted when heavily armed gunmen attacked a remote community in northern Nigeria, Associated Press reported quoting local police.
The attack took place in Kasuwan-Daji village, located in Borgu local government area of Niger state, on Saturday evening.
The assailants stormed the village and fired indiscriminately. They also set ablaze the local market and several homes, causing panic among terrorised villagers and widespread destruction.
Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement that security personnel had been deployed in the area to search for those abducted and restore calm. Residents, however, said no security forces had reached the village even on Sunday.
Police confirmed 30 deaths, but the actual toll is much higher, according to local people.
Two villagers told AP that the death toll had risen to 37, and warned it could increase further as several residents – including women and children — were still missing.
Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese spokesperson Rev. Father Stephen Kabirat told local media that the scale of the violence was even more severe. He said the gunmen killed more than 40 people and abducted several others during the raid.
It’s the latest deadly incident in the region which is ravaged by recurring violence and insecurity.
Armed criminal gangs targeting rural communities is common in Africa’s most populous nation.
These groups often carry out mass killings, kidnappings for ransom, and arson, exploiting weak security infrastructure.
In November, more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers were abducted from a Catholic school.
