KANO: Armed men killed thirty people in weekend raids on six villages in northern parts of Nigeria, a region regularly affected by clashes between communities and criminal violence, local police said on Monday.
Sokoto police spokesman Ahmad Rufai said that attackers on motorcycles killed 8 people in Raka, 7 in Bilingawa, 6 in Jaba, 4 in Dabagi, 3 in Raka Dutse and 2 in Tsalewa villages.
However, locals from two affected villages said thirty-six people were killed in the attacks, which they said were punishments for their refusal to pay protection money to the brigands.
A Raka Dutse resident Kasimu Musa told AFP that they buried thirty-six people yesterday (Sunday) who were killed by the brigands.
Communal violence is just one of the many security challenges faced by recently sworn-in President Bola Tinubu, who won a February presidential election marred by opposition allegations of vote rigging.
Deadly Violence in Nigeria
The region has for several years been hit by deadly conflict between farmers and herders over grazing and water rights.
The conflict has turned into broader criminality, with groups of brigands, mostly herders, carrying out deadly raids on villages to kidnap for ransom, steal livestock, and burn homes after looting them.
Recently, there has been a surge in tit-for-tat killings between the brigands and vigilante groups established by local communities, prompting the state authorities to attempt peace talks.
Authorities and security pundits have expressed concern over alliances between the brigands, motivated by economic gains, and militants waging a fourteen-year-old insurgency in the northeast.
