Increase in Casualties from Attacks in Northern Nigeria

Police and residents reported that gunmen in Nigeria killed at least 30 people and kidnapped several children in separate attacks across three states in the north of the country, marking the latest violence in a region plagued by armed conflict. Armed groups attacked the villages of Janbako and Sakida in northwestern Zamfara state on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of 24 individuals. The gunmen also abducted a number of children who were collecting firewood in a forest near the neighboring village of Jora. Police spokesperson Ahmad Rafai stated that five villages under the local government of Tangaza in Sokoto state were attacked on Saturday, noting that the victims of these attacks were buried on Sunday. Residents of Janbako and Sakida, Hussaini Ahmed and Abubakar Maradon, told Reuters via phone that the gangs had demanded payment from the villagers days earlier to allow them to farm their fields, but the villagers did not comply. Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar confirmed the attacks, but said reports indicated that only 13 people were killed and nine boys and girls were abducted. Two residents reported that gunmen killed 25 people and set houses ablaze during an attack on Emandi Mbakangi in central northern Benue state on Saturday. The motive behind the attack is still unknown.