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DPA
Lagos
Gunmen have killed over 200 people in a series of attacks in northern Nigeria, a government ministry said on Sunday.
The attackers targeted a total of eight villages in the state of Zamfara between Tuesday and Thursday.
More than 10,000 people had been left homeless by the violence, while scores are still missing, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development said.
The head of the ministry, Sadiya Umar Farouq, described the attacks as “horrific and tragic.” They were carried out by more than 500 “bandits” who rode on motorcycles, razing homes and killing people as they went, she said.
Former cattle herders who have formed gangs frequently terrorize the population as they try to forcefully take over the farmlands of local communities despite the presence of security authorities.
Their violent activities have been partially attributed to climate change, which has caused a drought in many places where they used to graze their animals.
Exactly who was behind the most recent attacks remained unclear.
Security officials say some of the gangs have links to extremist groups such as Boko Haram.
The attacks, in which many houses were burned down, came despite a military operation targeting these gangs.
Schoolchildren are also often abducted in the region to extort ransom money.
Thirty students abducted from a government college in neighbouring Kebbi State were released on Saturday after spending more than six months in captivity.
It was not clear whether any ransom money was paid. Some of the abducted students are still being held.
Bandit violence has its roots in clashes between nomadic cattle herders and sedentary farmers over land and resources. But tit-for-tat attacks have over the years spiralled into broader criminality.
Nigeria’s armed forces said last week they killed 537 “armed bandits and other criminal elements” in the region and arrested 374 others since May last year, while 452 “kidnapped civilians were rescued”.
Bandits loyal to notorious gang leader Bello Turji suffered heavy losses last month in ground-and-air raids on their forest-based camps.
Nigeria designated bandits as “terrorist” groups, allowing for tougher sanctions under the “terrorism” prevention act for suspected shooters, their informants, and supporters such as those caught supplying them with fuel and food.
Separately, gunmen on Sunday released 30 Nigerian students who spent nearly seven months in captivity.
The students of Federal Government College in Kebbi, northwest Nigeria, were abducted on June 17 when gunmen stormed their school in Birnin-Yauri.
Lagos
Gunmen have killed over 200 people in a series of attacks in northern Nigeria, a government ministry said on Sunday.
The attackers targeted a total of eight villages in the state of Zamfara between Tuesday and Thursday.
More than 10,000 people had been left homeless by the violence, while scores are still missing, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development said.
The head of the ministry, Sadiya Umar Farouq, described the attacks as “horrific and tragic.” They were carried out by more than 500 “bandits” who rode on motorcycles, razing homes and killing people as they went, she said.
Former cattle herders who have formed gangs frequently terrorize the population as they try to forcefully take over the farmlands of local communities despite the presence of security authorities.
Their violent activities have been partially attributed to climate change, which has caused a drought in many places where they used to graze their animals.
Exactly who was behind the most recent attacks remained unclear.
Security officials say some of the gangs have links to extremist groups such as Boko Haram.
The attacks, in which many houses were burned down, came despite a military operation targeting these gangs.
Schoolchildren are also often abducted in the region to extort ransom money.
Thirty students abducted from a government college in neighbouring Kebbi State were released on Saturday after spending more than six months in captivity.
It was not clear whether any ransom money was paid. Some of the abducted students are still being held.
Bandit violence has its roots in clashes between nomadic cattle herders and sedentary farmers over land and resources. But tit-for-tat attacks have over the years spiralled into broader criminality.
Nigeria’s armed forces said last week they killed 537 “armed bandits and other criminal elements” in the region and arrested 374 others since May last year, while 452 “kidnapped civilians were rescued”.
Bandits loyal to notorious gang leader Bello Turji suffered heavy losses last month in ground-and-air raids on their forest-based camps.
Nigeria designated bandits as “terrorist” groups, allowing for tougher sanctions under the “terrorism” prevention act for suspected shooters, their informants, and supporters such as those caught supplying them with fuel and food.
Separately, gunmen on Sunday released 30 Nigerian students who spent nearly seven months in captivity.
The students of Federal Government College in Kebbi, northwest Nigeria, were abducted on June 17 when gunmen stormed their school in Birnin-Yauri.
