Gunmen Kill At Least 20 Villagers In Northwestern Nigeria

[News_Editor]

Gunmen kill at least 20 villagers in northwestern Nigeria < br />

2012-11-01 08:37:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABORO, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) -- A group of gunmen stormed a village in northwestern Nigeria on Tuesday morning, killing at least 20 people in the latest wave of violence, local authorities confirmed on Wednesday. It is believed armed robbers are behind the latest massacre.

The attack began at around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday when a group of gunmen arrived on motorcycles and horses and opened fire in the small village of Kaboro in the district of Dansadau in Zamfara State. The attackers were heavily armed with numerous weapons and some carrying swords.

Local media reports said the village chief, known as Alhaji Maiyara, confronted the gunmen and pleaded them to stop their attack. But the gunmen instead turned their weapons against him, shooting him before beheading him with a sword. At least nineteen others were also believed to have been killed.

The exact reason of the attack, which lasted around two hours, was not entirely certain, but preliminary reports indicate that the gunmen had previously tried to attack and rob the village before being chased away by members of the local vigilance group. The attack could have been an act of vengeance, as in some occasions, some of the attackers have been caught and killed.

On October 14, at least 24 people were killed when a group of gunmen stormed the village of Dongo Dawa in the central state of Kaduna. The massacre was an act of revenge after a local man identified and expelled suspects in a series of robberies and sexual assaults against women. They then regrouped and stormed the village, killing the man who identified them, killing two of his children, and cutting off his wife's hands.

And in May, at least 60 people were killed when a group of gunmen attacked a cattle market in a remote town in northeastern Nigeria. The attack happened hours after an earlier robbery failed and resulted in the death of one criminal. The gunmen returned and attacked the market with explosive devices before opening fire.

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