More than 30 people were killed and several others abducted in a violent attack on the village of Kaswan-Daji in Niger State, in north-central Nigeria, police and local residents said.
Police said the attack was carried out by so-called “bandits”, criminal gangs whose activities have spread across large parts of the country.
According to the state police spokesperson, gunmen stormed the village late on Saturday and opened fire indiscriminately on residents, destroying the local market and several homes.
Local residents said the actual death toll could be higher, with several people still missing as of Sunday, and criticised the delayed response by security forces.
The attack comes amid persistent violence in Nigeria, where criminal gangs have exploited weak security and limited state presence in remote communities. An insurgency that began in the country’s northeast in 2009 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, with spillover effects across the region.
