Image copyright AFP Image caption Dozens of people have died in clashes between vigilantes and cattle rustlers in Zamfara in recent months (file photo)

Cattle thieves have killed more than 20 people in Nigeria's northern state of Zamfara, officials say.

The thieves arrived in the village of Zanoka on motorbikes, shooting at people and setting fire to their homes.

Clashes between vigilantes and cattle rustlers in Zamfara have intensified in recent months.

Violence related to cattle has been going on for years in Nigeria - even longer than the northern Islamist insurgency and southern oil militancy.

It is now said to have killed more people than the Boko Haram conflict, although official statistics are hard to come by.

The chairman of the local government area for Zanoka, Mustapha Muhammad, told the AFP news agency that people in the village had "buried 23 people killed in the attack, including vigilantes who tried to fight off the bandits".

According to the Zamfara state government, more than 10,000 cattle have been stolen in the last seven years.

Most of the violence involving cattle theft is in the country's Middle Belt where cattle-herders and settled farmers compete for ever-scarcer resources, says BBC World Service Africa Editor, Mary Harper.

Some analysts say that it is a conflict between Muslim nomads and Christian farmers in this region. However, it is more complex than that, involving criminals and politicians, our correspondent says.

Many people say poor governance lies at the root of the violence, she adds, with security forces regarded as ineffective or corrupt.

Kidnappings for ransom have also been on the rise. In early May, about 100 people were abducted in just two days on a road near Kaduna's border with Zamfara state.</s>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.</s>Cattle thieves have killed 23 people in northern Nigeria's Zamfara state which has been battling cattle rustling and kidnapping in recent months, a local government official said late Saturday.

Armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Zanoka village in the state 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 said.

"They torched homes and burnt some of their victims alive before fleeing into the bush".

Muhammad said the gunmen had earlier on Friday invaded the remote village, carting away some cattle but were forced to flee by local vigilantes who fought them off and reclaimed the stolen herd.</s>LAGOS, Nigeria — A police spokesman says at least 15 people have been killed by cattle rustlers who attacked a village in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Zamfara.

Muhammad Shehu tells The Associated Press the victims were killed late Friday in Zakuna village in what appeared to be a reprisal attack. Shehu says the cattle rustlers had been repelled in an attack earlier in the day but regrouped.

Cattle rustlers have killed scores of people in Zamfara state since January amid growing tensions in the area.

Insecurity remains a major problem in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. In the northeast, security forces continue to battle the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, which still carries out deadly suicide bombings and mass abductions.</s>Gusau – Barely one week after the killing of 26 people in a community in Zamfara, gunmen have again hit another village in the state, killing 15 people.

The Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP. Muhammad Shehu, on Saturday in Gusau said that the bandits killed the people in a village called Zakuna.

He said the village is in the Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara in Nigeria’s northwest.

Zamfara State has seen repeated attacks in recent times that have left scores dead and added to the agony of unending attacks that have been blamed largely on the jihadist group, Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has waged a deadly insurgency on Nigeria since 2009 in a bid to enthrone a strict Islamic code in the north but the Federal Government has descended on the group, decimating them.

Shehu said that the attackers invaded Zakuna in the early hour of June 1 and rustled cows belonging to villagers.

According to him, a vigilance group known as Yansakai took on the rustlers, forcing them to flee only for the bandits to reinforce and attack the village, killing 15 people.

“On receiving the reports of the attack, the police mobilised to the village and discovered 15 dead bodies majority of whom were Yansakai.

“The police have, however, deployed heavy security to the area to maintain peace and stability.

“Bush combing and rigorous patrol is being carried out throughout the area by the police to avoid further loss of lives.”

Shehu said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered discreet investigation on the latest incident to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

He pleaded with communities in the state not to relent in providing information to security operatives to end the deadly attacks in the state.

On May 25, some communities in Gidangoga District in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state were similarly attacked by bandits, resulting to the death of 26 people and injuring of three others. (NAN)</s>A spate of kidnappings for ransom in the Birnin Gwari district of northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state has left residents afraid to even leave their homes.

“When a person travels, his family, friends and neighbours gather to pray for his safety because of the kidnappers,” said local resident Kabiru Mohammed.

“It’s celebrations once he returns because kidnapping on the highway has become the norm. It’s a nightmare that should only exist in fairytales,” he told AFP by telephone.

Mohammed and his neighbours have good reason to be anxious.

Kidnappings have reached unprecedented levels in the last two months. In early May, about 100 people were abducted in just two days on a road near the border with Zamfara state.

Haruna Musa, who also lives in Birnin Gwari, said the situation has forced people in at least six villages in the area to abandon their homes.

Last week, an armed gang raided the village of Maganda and kidnapped three wives of a businessman. Many locals now don’t sleep at night. Instead, they patrol their communities.

“I also join in the night patrols to encourage others,” said Mustapha Idris, the chief imam of Maganda.

But the creation of civilian militia has itself had deadly consequences. On May 6, at least 71 people were killed in Gwaska village during clashes with armed bandits.

Birnin Gwari is not alone in being affected. In Zamfara, there have been similar problems from kidnapping and cattle rustling gangs.

“The mere sound of a motorcycle engine outside your house at night robs you of sleep because it could be a sign that the dreaded bandits have come,” said Nuhu Dansadau.

Aliyu Kawaye, who lives in the town of Anka, said the abductors seize cash and force families to sell their farm produce to raise the ransom payment.

According to the state government, more than 10,000 cattle have been stolen in the last seven years.

“What is more worrisome is the deliberate attack on farmers who dare to go to their farms,” said Dansadau.

“The bandits amputate their hands from the wrists, put the severed palms in the farmers’ pockets and send them back to the village as a warning to others.”

The kidnapping gangs and cattle thieves, who roam on motorcycles on the hunt for victims, are known to operate in northern Kaduna and Zamfara.

Both regions have been largely spared by the Boko Haram insurgency, another of Nigeria’s pressing security problems along with a land conflict between nomads and farmers.

The kidnappers’ heavily guarded camps dot the Rugu forest, which straddles Kaduna, Zamfara and the northern states of Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger.

Abductees whose families don’t pay ransoms are killed and their bodies dumped, according to security sources.

Kidnapping for ransom used to be a phenomenon isolated to oil-rich southern Nigeria. But it has spread further north and become lucrative because of economic hardship.

It has also attracted young ethnic Fulani herders who have lost their herds in unrest with farmers over grazing and watering rights.

Young Fulani herders now make up most of the marauding gangs in northern Nigeria and other West African countries, said Saleh Bayeri, of the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association.

The Kaduna state government formed a joint military and police taskforce to combat kidnapping and cattle rustling in Birnin Gwari but has had little success.

In March, bandits likely armed with illegal weapons smuggled in from Mali and Libya, killed 11 troops at a camp in the area, prompting the military to withdraw.

In April, the Nigerian Air Force deployed special forces to Zamfara to fight the gangs but locals said more were needed.

“The bandits by far outnumber the troops and are better armed,” said Kawaye.

Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari has said he does not have adequate resources to police a state which at 40,000 square kilometres (15,400 square miles) is about the same size as Switzerland.

There are only 2,000 regular police officers, 400 riot police, 315 soldiers and fewer than 100 air force personnel for a population of more than four million, he said in February.

In response to the killings, he has ordered troops to shoot on sight anyone seen with a gun in affected areas. But that and a number of amnesty offers have had little effect.

“The best way to end this menace is for the government to send in more troops and weapons to fight these criminals as well as intensify security along our borders,” said Dansadau.</s>Fifteen people were killed on Saturday after gunmen invaded Zakuna village in Anka Local Government area of Zamfara State.

Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the figure to Channels Television during a telephone interview on Saturday.

“On receiving the reports of the attack, the police mobilised to the village and discovered 15 dead bodies majority of whom were Yansakai,” he said.

Shehu stated also that the police had deployed its operatives to the affected area to peace and stability.

He added, “The police have, however, deployed heavy security to the area to maintain peace and stability. Bush combing and rigorous patrol are being carried out throughout the area by the police to avoid further loss of lives.”

The latest attack on the North-Western state comes barely one week after the killing of 26 people in another community in Zamfara.

According to him, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered a discreet investigation into the latest incident to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

This is just as he pleaded with communities in the state not to relent in providing information to security operatives to end the deadly attacks in the state.

Zamfara State has seen repeated attacks in recent times that have left scores dead and added to the agony of unending attacks that have been blamed largely on the jihadist group, Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has waged a deadly insurgency in Nigeria since 2009 in a bid to enthrone a strict Islamic code in the north, but the Federal Government has descended on the group, decimating them.

On May 25, some communities in Gidangoga District in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state were similarly attacked by bandits, resulting in the death of 26 people and injuring of three others.</s>Barely one week after the killing of 26 persons in a community in Zamfara State, cattle thieves have killed another 23 people in the state which has been battling cattle rustling and kidnapping in recent months, a local government official said late Saturday.

 The Chairman of Anka Local Government Area, Mustapha Muhammad, said armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Zakuna village in the state, last Friday, opening fire on residents and burning homes.

 “We buried 23 people killed in the attack, including vigilantes who tried to fight off the bandits”, he said.

 “They torched homes and burnt some of their victims alive before fleeing into the bush”.

 Muhammad said the gunmen had earlier last Friday invaded the remote village, carting 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, 160 kilometres from the state capital, Gusau, where they opened fire and burnt homes.

 The Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, Mr. Muhammad Shehu, confirmed that the police 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 to fight off the bandits.

 The vigilantes have also 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.

 The state has witnessed repeated attacks in recent times that have left scores dead.

 Shehu said the attackers invaded Zakuna in the early hours of June 1, and stole cows belonging to the villagers.

 According to him, a vigilance group known as Yansakai, challenged the rustlers, forcing them to flee only for the bandits to reinforce and attack the village, killing 15 people.

 He said: “On receiving the reports of the attack, the police mobilised officers to the village and discovered 15 bodies, majority of whom were members of the Yansakai group.

 “The police have, however, increased security in the area to restore peace and stability.

 “Bush combing and rigorous patrol is being carried out throughout the area by the police to avoid further loss of lives.”

 Shehu said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered investigations into the latest incident to apprehend the perpetrators.

 However, three persons have been killed in the attacks carried out on a community identified as Kura Falls, Gashish District in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

 Casualties were said to have been recorded during two separate attacks between Friday night and Saturday morning.

 The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, confirmed the attacks on Saturday in an interview with newsmen.

 He said: “We received information this morning (Saturday) at about 7am that residents were attacked in Kura Falls yesterday (Friday) at about 9.30pm and early this morning by unknown gunmen, which resulted in the death of three persons.

 “They are Dawala Bullet (30), Fidelis Richard (31) and Iliya Doro (60), all male of the same address. We have mobilised police officers to the district (Gashish). An investigation is underway to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.”

 Similarly, no fewer than 10 persons have been killed and several persons injured in a war that erupted between cult groups in Otukpo, Benue State.

 It was gathered that some of the victims were killed at a popular drug joint known as Banana Island.

 Also, the Chairman, Kwande Local Government Council of Benue, Mr Terdoo Kenti, has confirmed the killing of seven persons and injury of six others by suspected herdsmen.

 Kenti said on telephone, yesterday, in Makurdi that the attackers also abducted a woman during the incident, last Saturday night at Tseadough village.

 Tseadough is a village in Mbachom, Yaav Council Ward near Jato Aka, the ancestral home of Tiv people in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue.

 He added that the attackers also burnt down several houses in the community.

 Kenti said that the yet to be identified gunmen came unnoticed on the fateful night.

 Meanwhile, 12 persons have been reported killed in an ambush by suspected herdsmen on Kangling village in Adamawa State.

 The Acting Chairman of Girei Local Government Area, Mr Vincent Pasari, confirmed the attack in an interview with newsmen, last Saturday.</s>At least 15 people have been killed in an attack by gunmen in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, police said on Saturday.

Police spokesman Mohamed Shehu said the killings took place in Zakuna village and the victims were members of a local vigilante group which resisted bandits who stole cattle.

"The police team deployed to the village discovered 15 bodies -- majority of whom were Yansakai members," he said, speaking to Anadolu Agency over the phone.

Zamfara has witnessed several deadly attacks by armed bandits notorious for stealing cattle and other violent crimes.

The government has established an army post and deployed fresh police contingents in the state.

While the attacks have reduced, locals continue to report attacks in remote villages.

Some 26 persons were reportedly killed in similar violence in late May in Gidangoga area of the state.</s>Fifteen residents of Zamfara State have been killed in the latest raid by rampaging gunmen in the state.Hit this time is Zakuna village in Anka Local Government area, the police said yesterday.The mass murder came barely a week after the killing of 26 people in some communities in Gidangoga District of Maradun Local Government Area.The Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that unknown gunmen attacked Zakuna in the early hours of Friday, killing residents.They also stole cows.According to him, a vigilance group known as Yansakai challenged the rustlers, forcing them to flee only for the bandits to reinforce and attack the village, killing 15 people.“On receiving the reports of the attack, the police mobilised to the village and discovered 15 bodies, majority of who were Yansakai.“The police have, however, deployed heavy security to the area to maintain peace and stability.“Bush combing and rigorous patrol are being carried out throughout the area by the police to avoid further loss of lives.” Shehu said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered discreet investigation on the latest incident to catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice.He pleaded with communities in the state not to relent in providing information to security operatives to end the deadly attacks.The state has seen repeated attacks in recent times that have left scores dead.
Cattle thieves are reported to have killed 23 people in Zamfara, Nigeria.