According to local officials, most of the deceased were farmers.
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At least 23 people were killed in a series of attacks carried out by armed gunmen in various villages of Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria on Wednesday.
According to local officials, most of the victims were farmers. The latest incident has once again highlighted the ongoing insecurity in the region caused by criminal gangs that have been active there for years.
Nasiru Lawali, a councilor from Sauna district under the Talata Mafara local government area, said that at around 3 p.m. local time, gunmen opened indiscriminate fire, killing at least 21 people.
Similarly, Alhaji Shehu Garba, secretary of Sauna district, said that five villages were targeted in the attacks and that 23 people lost their lives in the incidents. According to him, most of the victims were farmers working in their fields.
Three others injured in the attacks were initially taken to Talata Mafara General Hospital for treatment. Garba said that as their condition was serious, they were transferred to a teaching hospital in neighboring Sokoto State for further treatment.
The Nigerian police have not made any immediate comment when asked about the incident.
For a long time, armed criminal gangs known as ‘bandits’ have been active in northwestern and central Nigeria, continuously carrying out violent activities such as village attacks, cattle rustling, kidnappings for ransom, and mass killings. This violence has consistently made the security situation in those areas challenging.
Nigerian authorities are simultaneously grappling with the ongoing jihadist insurgency in the northeast, separatist activities in other regions, and the violence of criminal gangs in the northwest and central areas.
Although these gangs are believed to be mainly motivated by economic gain, security analysts and government officials have also expressed concern that some groups may be expanding ties with jihadist extremists.
