At least 50 people were killed and an unspecified number of women and children abducted after armed attackers raided a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, a local lawmaker said on Friday.
Hamisu A. Faru, who represents Bukkuyum South constituency, told Reuters that gunmen attacked Tungan Dutse village from around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday until approximately 3:30 a.m. on Friday, setting homes ablaze and shooting residents as they tried to escape.
“The attackers moved from one village to another, leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru said by telephone, adding that the number of abducted victims had yet to be confirmed.
Traditional rulers and local government officials were still working to determine how many residents were missing following the assault, he said.
Zamfara state police did not respond to requests for comment.
A resident of Tungan Dutse, Abdullahi Sani, 41, said three members of his family were killed during the raid.
“No one slept last night. We are all in pain,” Sani said.
He added that villagers had alerted security forces and local authorities a day earlier after spotting more than 150 motorcycles carrying armed men approaching the area, but no action was taken.
Worsening insecurity remains a major challenge for Nigeria’s government, which is facing growing pressure to curb violence across the country.
Northern Nigeria has seen a surge in attacks attributed to armed gangs commonly referred to as “bandits,” who have carried out mass killings, kidnappings for ransom, and forced large numbers of people to flee their homes.