Armed criminal gangs raided several villages in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara state killing at least 15 people, local residents told AFP on Thursday.
His Dandallah village was the worst hit, with seven people killed, six injured while three others were missing, he said. Hundreds of residents fled to Dansadau town for fear of renewed attacks, according to Ahmed Mohammed, a Dansadau resident. Police told AFP they had not yet received any reports on the attacks.
The violence started as conflict between Fulani cattle herders and farmers over land and water rights but morphed into organised crime. Rural communities in Zamfara state formed vigilante groups as community protection force against bandits, but are accused of extrajudicial killings of suspected bandits, leading to reprisals from bandits and a cycle of tit-for-tat killings. Motorcycle riding gunmen who belong to kidnapping-for-ransom and cattle-rustling gangs, who locals call bandits, rode through eight villages in Dansadau district on Wednesday through Thursday, killing residents and looting homes.
