Minna, Nigeria
AP
—
At least 30 villagers were killed and several others abducted by gunmen who attacked a village in Nigeria’s northern Niger state, police said Sunday. This is the latest in a deadly cycle of violence in the conflict-hit region.
Gunmen attacked Kasuwan Daji village in Borg Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday night, opening fire on residents. They also destroyed a local market and several houses, Niger State Police Spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement.
At least two residents put the death toll at 37, but said the death toll could rise further as some were missing as of Sunday. Residents also said security forces had not yet arrived in the area, contradicting police claims that they had sent officers to search for the kidnapped people.
Stephen Cavilat, a spokesman for the Contagora diocese where the attack took place, told local media that the gunmen had killed more than 40 people, including children.
The gunmen had been roaming nearby communities for about a week before the attack, said a resident who requested anonymity due to concerns for his safety. Survivors are now too scared to go and retrieve the bodies.
“The bodies are there (in Kaswan Daji village). How can we get there if there are no guards?” the resident said, adding that the attack lasted for up to three hours.
Such attacks are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where dozens of fraudulent organizations seeking control often target remote communities with limited security and government presence.
Saturday’s attack in the village of Kaswan Daji occurred near the Papiri community, where more than 300 children and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in November.
Police said the assailants who attacked Kasuwan Daji arrived from the national park forest along the Kabe district, pointing to the usual trend of large abandoned forest reserves serving as hideouts for militant groups.
