Gunmen kill 13 people in central Nigeria

Gunmen killed 13 people in Nigeria’s central Niger state, a local official said Thursday, the latest in a series of attacks in the region.

Criminal gangs known locally as bandits, who have terrorised northwest and central states for years, have become more violent in recent months.

Nigeria has increased military operations in the main regions targeted by the bandits, but officials and residents worry they are fleeing to other areas.

“Tuesday night… bandits suspected to be coming from Kaduna or other neighbouring states surrounded Kachiwe village in Munya (district) and launched an attack,” said Niger State’s information commissioner Muhammad Idris.

“We have counted 13 bodies,” he said, adding that the death toll could increase. Villagers ran to hide… and some have been taken to hospital.”

The gangs have been increasingly targeting schools this year, kidnapping students and schoolchildren to squeeze ransom from authorities and parents.

As the military began an anti-bandit campaign earlier this month, northern states imposed tight restrictions on movement and trade as well as a telecoms blackout to try and control the gunmen.

The restrictions include a ban on the transport of cattle and firewood, a suspension of some animal markets and caps on fuel sales.

Kaduna was the latest state on Thursday to impose a partial lockdown in some areas, joining Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto. In Zamfara alone, phone lines have been shut down for over three weeks, complicating economic activity.