(MENAFN- AzerNews) Gunmen from criminal gangs killed 25 people when they raidedfour villages in northwestern Nigeria in reprisals over militaryoffensives on their hideouts, according to Barrons, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.
The attacks on Thursday took place in Katsina State, one of theregions in northwest Nigeria hit by armed gangs known locally asbandits who carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and looting raidson villages. Bandit militias stormed the villages of Unguwar Sarki,Gangara, Tafi and Kore in Sabuwa district late on Thursday, openingfire on residents, said Nasiru Babangida, Katsina state internalsecurity commissioner.
"Twenty-five people were killed in the attacks on the fourcommunities, 19 of them in Unguwar Sarki village alone," Babangidatold local radio. Several residents were injured while others werekidnapped by the criminals, he said. "Most of those killed werevigilantes who came out to confront the bandits." Many communitiesin northwest Nigeria have formed self-defence vigilante forces tofight off bandits in remote areas with little state presence andthe two sides are locked in a spiral of tit-for-tat killings andreprisals.
The bandits raided the villages in response to ongoing militaryoffensives against their camps in the area and in neighbouringKaduna state where they have suffered a large number of casualties,Babangida said. "The attacks were in retaliation for the aerialbombings of their camps in Katsina and Kaduna states that havekilled more than 200 of them," he said. The gangs who maintaincamps in vast forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Nigerstates have made headlines for mass kidnappings of students fromschools in recent years. Bandits have no ideological leaning andare motivated by financial gains but there has been concern fromanalysts and officials over their increasing alliance withjihadists waging a 15-year armed rebellion in the northeast ofNigeria.
MENAFN05052024000195011045ID1108174264
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.