Motorbike raids on villages kill dozens in Nigeria

Gunmen on motorcycles have killed dozens of people in dawn raids across three villages in north-western Nigeria. Armed men shot locals dead, set homes alight and abducted an unknown number of people in Niger State, Musa Saidu, head of the State Emergency Management Agency (Sema), told the BBC. The attacks on Saturday morning occurred near the site of asuspected jihadist massacreearlier this month, in which more than 100 people were killed in a similar ambush.

Armed criminal gangs, known as bandits, have carried out attacks and kidnappings in Nigeria for years, mainly targeting those in the north-west – but reports of attacks in other parts of the country have risen sharply more recently. Bandits swooped on the village of Tunga-Makeri early in the morning, before striking the nearby villages of Konkoso and Pissa, local officials said. Police said six people were killed in one incident, and 20 more in the attacks on Konkoso and Pisa.

Officials confirmed at least 29 people had been killed as of Saturday, but Saidu said that death toll could rise. The number of people abducted is also unknown because many residents fled their homes and ran into the nearby bush or neighbouring communities, he said. “People are afraid because you can’t tell which community is going to be next,” he added. A security report cited by AFP news agency said bandits came on 41 motorcycles, each carrying two or three men.