At least 30 people have been killed and several others abducted after gunmen attacked a village in Nigeria, police said.
The men stormed Kasuwan-Daji, in Niger state’s Borgu area, and opened fire on residents on Saturday evening.
They also destroyed the local market and several houses, Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement.
Mr Abiodun said “over 30 victims lost their lives” while at least two residents put the death toll at 37 and said it could be higher as some people remained missing as of Sunday.
Reverend Friar Stephen Kabirat, spokesman for the Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese, where the attack happened, told local media that the gunmen killed more than 40 people and said some of those abducted were children.
Residents also said security forces were yet to arrive in the area, contradicting the police’s claim that officers had been deployed to search for the people who have been abducted.
“Women and children were not spared,” said Dauda Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing. “There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses.”
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One person, who asked not to be named for fear of his safety, said the gunmen had been lurking around nearby communities for around a week before the attack, adding that locals are afraid to recover the bodies.
“If we don’t see any security, how can we go there?” he added.
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The incident is the latest in a cycle of deadly violence in the conflict-hit region.
It comes after gunmen abducted more than 300 pupils and 12 staff from a Catholic school in Niger state in November last year.
Some of those victims managed to escape while others were rescued. The remaining 130 children being held captive were freed just before Christmas.
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Such attacks have escalated across northwestern and central Nigeria, with security forces struggling to contain the violence despite ongoing operations.
In some areas, vigilante groups have stepped in to fill security gaps.
