Not Only Kidnapping Dozens Of People, Armed Groups Blindly Kill Dozens Of Residents

PHOTO OF ILLUSTRATION/ Nigerian Army IN Ikeja/PHOTO OF Kaizen Photography via Wikimedia Commons

A group of gunmen on motorbikes killed 11 people and kidnapped 70 people, including women and children, in villages northwest of Nigeria.

The attackers opened fire as they entered Damri Sabongarin in Zamfara State on Saturday night, residents said, Isa Sani, told Reuters.

"They came on motorbikes, shooting randomly before kidnapping our daughters and children. To this day, we haven't heard any news from them. It's everywhere quiet," he said on Monday, August 4.

Groups known locally as "bandits" have reportedly killed hundreds of people and arrested thousands of people across states in recent years. They have often held prisoners for months and demanded ransom for their release.

Sufiyanu Ibrahim said the attackers kidnapped his wife and shot her in the leg.

"There were shots everywhere. I almost escaped," he said by telephone. 11 people were recorded dead.

Zamfara, which borders Niger, became the center of violent attacks that had disrupted agriculture and travel and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

Shehu Musa, the traditional head of Sabangarin Damri village, confirmed that more than 60 people were kidnapped, including women and children.

Police arrested 2,109 people and released 175 victims of kidnappings from suspected bandits in the northwest and central region from April to July, said the Lanre Issa-Onilu, head of the government's National Orientation Agency.