Gunmen Raid Village in Nigeria's Northwest, Kill At least 50

Abdullahi Karman Unashi, a local resident, told Reuters on Sunday that dozens of gunmen on motorcycles had raided Dankade village in the country’s northern Kebbi state on Friday night and exchanged gunfire with police and military forces in the area.

However, he said, military forces were forced to retreat in the early hours of Saturday, leaving the armed “bandits” to burn shops, homes and grain silos and take cattle.

"They killed two soldiers and one police officer and 50 villagers. (They) kidnapped the community leader of Dankade and many villagers, mostly women and children," Karman said.

Didzi Umar Bunu, son of the abducted community leader, said the assailants had returned early on Sunday and torched more houses.

"They have not called or made any ransom demand. Dankade village is littered with dead bodies," he said on the phone.

Nafiu Abubakar, police spokesperson for Kebbi, did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

The latest development comes a week after armed criminal gangs killed at least 200 people in attacks on villages in the nearby northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara, following military air strikes on their hideouts.

Northwest Nigeria has seen a sharp rise in mass abductions as well as other violent crimes since late 2020 as the government struggles to maintain law and order.

Criminal gangs have terrorized northwestern and central Nigeria for years, but they have become more brazen in recent months.