At least 50 people, including women and children, have been abducted and three others killed in an attack by gunmen in Bagega, a mining village in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara State.
Kidnapping for ransom has become common in northwestern Nigeria in recent years where armed gangs, often referred to locally as bandits, have targeted villages, schools and travellers.
Witnesses said the gunmen stormed the village on motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately and setting houses ablaze on Monday.
Seven people were also injured in the attack.
‘Widespread fear’
The district head was among the people kidnapped, Mallam Abubakar, the village chief, said on Tuesday.
Bello Yahaya, whose father was abducted, said three people were killed and two policemen were shot and wounded while trying to fend off the attackers.
"The injured officers, along with the other individuals who suffered various degrees of gunshot wounds, are currently receiving medical treatment while two critically injured victims have been referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau," Yahaya said. Gusau is the state capital.
"As I speak with you now, an unspecified number of people have been abducted. There is panic and widespread fear among our people," stated Ismail Badamasi, a resident who managed to escape the assault.
Nigeria faces numerous security challenges, including a 14-year Islamist insurgency in its northeast, separatist violence in the southeast, and frequent deadly clashes between farmers and herders in the central region.
