Gunmen killed at least 20 people on Sunday in an attack in the Giwa local government area of Kaduna state, the state government said.
The state commissioner for Homeland Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said in a statement Sunday that the bandits attacked the villages of Kauran Fawa, Marke and Riheya in the Idasu area of the Giwa local government.
Aruwan said the attacks left more than 20 residents dead.
Nigerian military and police authorities have informed the Kaduna state government that more than 20 people were killed during bandit attacks in various villages in Giwa LGA, Aruwan said.
He said the killers razed houses, trucks and cars, along with produce on several farms.
“Governor Nasir El-Rufai received the reports with sadness and sent his condolences to the families of the victims of the brutal attacks while praying for the rest of their souls,” Aruwan said.
He said the governor also took pity on the affected communities and ordered the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to conduct an urgent assessment of the area to provide assistance.
“The identities of the victims will be released once the Kaduna state government confirms more details. Meanwhile, security agencies have held patrols in the general area, “added the commissioner.
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The latest incident occurred two days after a similar series of attacks against separate Kaduna communities.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kaduna government confirmed on December 17 that at least nine people were killed and two others injured in separate attacks in the Chikun, Zaria and Zangon Kataf local government areas of the state.
Kaduna is one of the northwestern states hardest hit by banditry, where terrorist groups kill and kidnap residents at will.
Other states affected by these attacks are Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara, as well as Niger in the north-central region.
The attacks have continued despite repeated promises by President Muhammadu Buhari and the deployment of more security personnel to the area.