Cattle rustlers kill 23 people in northern Nigeria

Cattle thieves have killed 23 people in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, which has been battling cattle rustling and kidnapping in recent months, an official has said.

Bandits on motorcycles invaded Zanoka village on Friday, opening fire on residents and burning homes, said Mustapha Muhammad, the chairman of the local government area.

“We buried 23 people killed in the attack, including vigilantes who tried to fight off the bandits,” he added late on Saturday. “They torched homes and burnt some of their victims alive before fleeing into the bush.” Muhammad said the gunmen had earlier in the day invaded the village and carted away some cattle, but were forced to flee by local vigilantes who fought them off and reclaimed the stolen herd.

Hours later, the thieves mobilised more men and returned to the village, 100 miles from the state capital, Gusau, where they opened fire and burnt homes.

A state police spokesman, Muhammad Shehu, said officers had recovered 15 bodies from the village following the attack. “Most of the victims were vigilantes who put up a fight against the bandits,” he said.

Cattle rustlers have for several years been terrorising herding and farming villages in the state, stealing herds and killing residents who resist them. The attacks prompted villagers to form vigilante groups; the vigilantes have been accused of abuses and killings of suspected thieves, prompting reprisals.

In recent years, the gangs have turned to kidnapping for ransom, prompting government to deploy troops to the affected communities, but the criminals attacks persist.