Seven dead, dozens missing after attack in northern Nigeria | News on armed groups

Local residents report that armed men on motorcycles arrived in the village of Maidabino in Katsina state and fired sporadically.

At least seven people were killed and 100 abducted on Saturday night when gunmen attacked a rural community in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Katsina, residents and police said on Sunday, the latest attack on residents in the north of the country.

State police spokesman Abubakar Aliyu Sadiq confirmed the attack and the seven dead, but declined to say whether anyone was missing. He said police were currently investigating.

“The remaining men who did not escape are living in fear … waiting for news about their abducted relatives,” said Muhammad Sani, whose sister was kidnapped.

Residents reported that armed men on motorcycles arrived in Maidabino village in Danmusa Local Government Area of ​​Katsina Province and began firing sporadically, forcing residents to flee.

Hassan Aliyu told Reuters by telephone that residents were taken by surprise by the attack and dozens of women and children were confirmed missing.

“They killed seven people, including two children who were burned to death,” Aliyu said. “They spent more than six hours destroying our property.”

Auwalu Ismail, another resident, said the gunmen initially blocked all roads to Maidabino before the attack.

“They burned down our shops and vehicles and took our livestock. They also kidnapped my wife and more than 100 women and children,” he said.

In recent years, such kidnappings have been concentrated in northwestern and central Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for large ransom demands.

In March, armed men raided a school in the northwestern state of Kaduna and kidnapped dozens of students shortly before the start of school, residents and authorities said.

Last year, armed men kidnapped more than 80 students during a raid on a school in the northwestern state of Kebbi.