At least 30 people were killed in attacks by armed men on several villages in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Sokoto on Saturday, The Nigerian police said.
According to the police, an incident occurred on Saturday wherein numerous villages in the Sokoto region of the northwestern part of the country came under attack by armed assailants, resulting in the deaths of no less than thirty individuals.
Authorities in Sokoto have reported that the individuals who were targeted were affiliated with a community policing organization based in the Tangaza region within the local government area. Before the attacks, some members of the vigilante group visited the Azam village to caution the residents about potential violent outbreaks.
“However, the vigilante members overreacted and ended up beating some villagers,” said a statement released by the authorities. After that, the villagers “called for assistance”, it came “from armed men suspected to be bandits” on board 20 motorcycles.
“On getting the information that assistance was coming, the vigilantes withdrew to their various villages,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the assailants “targeted” the vigilante group and claimed the lives of 8 individuals in Raka, 7 in Bilingawa, 6 in Jaba, 4 in Dabagi, 3 in Raka Dutse, and 2 in Tsalewa villages.
The proliferation of armed attacks has emerged as a security concern in specific regions of Nigeria, resulting in fatalities and abductions in recent months.
(With inputs from agencies)
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