Gunmen kill dozens and kidnap children in northern Nigeria

5/6/2023 6:33

        Gunmen in Nigeria
        have killed dozens of people and kidnapped a number of children
        in separate attacks in two northern states, police and residents
        said on Sunday, the latest incidents in a region dogged by armed
        violence.
        
        Armed gangs on motorbikes frequently take advantage of
        thinly stretched security forces in the region to kidnap
        villagers, motorists and students for ransom.
        
        Residents said armed men had attacked Janbako and Sakkida
        villages in northwestern Zamfara state on Saturday, killing 24
        people. The gunmen also abducted several children who were
        collecting firewood in a forest in neighbouring Gora village.
        
        Hussaini Ahmadu and Abubakar Maradun, local residents in
        Janbako and Sakkida, told Reuters by phone that the gangs had
        earlier in the week demanded villagers pay a fee to enable them
        to farm their fields, but villagers did not do so.
        
        Zamfara police spokesman Yazid Abubakar confirmed the
        attacks but said only 13 people had been reported killed and
        nine young boys and girls kidnapped.
        
        In north central Benue state, gunmen killed 25 people and
        set their houses on fire during an attack on Saturday on the
        Imande Mbakange community, two residents said. The motive of the
        attack was not known.
        
        Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.