Gunmen in Nigeria killed at least 200 people in multiple raids this week in northwest Zamfara state, a government spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday. Clashes between herders and farmers over access to land has plagued northwest and central Nigeria for years, with some groups evolving into criminal gangs known as bandits who kill, loot and kidnap. Over 200 persons were buried… due to the invasion by bandits,” a spokeswoman for Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of humanitarian affairs, said. Babandi Hamidu, a resident of Kurfa Danya village said the militants were shooting “anyone on sight”. The governor of Zamfara Bello Matawalle has downplayed the death toll, saying only 58 people were killed.

Source: The Guardian January 10, 2022 01:40 UTC