At least 30 people have been killed and several others abducted following an attack by gunmen on a village in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State, police have said.
The assailants reportedly emerged from a nearby forest on Saturday evening before descending on the community’s market area. Police say parts of the market were set on fire and shops were looted during the raid.
A local community official told the BBC that residents were rounded up, tied and killed in the attack, which left the village devastated. Security agencies have since launched a coordinated operation to track down the attackers and rescue those who were kidnapped.
The incident is part of a renewed wave of violence linked to armed criminal groups, commonly known as bandits, whose attacks have escalated across north-central Nigeria in recent months. The gangs are frequently accused of mass killings, kidnappings for ransom and large-scale destruction of property.
In response to the worsening security situation, President Bola Tinubu has sharply increased Nigeria’s security budget, as authorities intensify efforts to curb rising criminality and restore stability in affected regions.
–ChannelAfrica–
