Armed bandits kill 47 in northwest Nigeria's Katsina State: Police

Gunmen killed 47 people in attacks on villages in the northwestern Nigerian State of Katsina in the early hours of Saturday, local police said.

According to Press TV, Katsina police said in a statement on Sunday “Armed bandits”, some of whom wielded AK-47 guns, carried out the attacks.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the last year by criminal gangs carrying out robberies and kidnappings in northwest Nigeria.

Such attacks have added to security challenges in Africa’s most populous country, which is already struggling to contain terrorist insurgencies in the northeast and communal violence over grazing rights in central states.

Gunmen, some with AK-47 guns, carried out the attacks in three local government authorities in the state in the early hours of Saturday between 12:30 am (23:30 GMT) and around 03:00 am local time, Katsina police said in its statement.

“There were reports of organized and simultaneous attacks in villages in Danmusa, Dutsenma and Safana by groups of armed bandits,” the statement said of some of the attacks.

“Detachments of Police, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Airforce, Civil Defence and DSS (Department of State Services) have been drafted to the area,” it added.

ME