Gunmen kill 15 herders in Zamfara
Pfandergloria
29 March 2018 .
Gunmen believed to be cattle thieves killed 15 herders in the latest bout of violence in northern Nigeria ’ s herding communities, police and a local official said Thursday.
“ Armed bandits attacked Bawon -Daji village yesterday and killed 15 people, ” the police spokesman for Zamfara state, Muhammad Shehu , told AFP .
His account was corroborated by a senior local government official , Gado Anka .
Anka told AFP motorcycle -riding gunmen stormed the remote village in Anka district around 1:00 pm ( 1200GMT ) , shooting dead 12 residents before fleeing to a hideout in the bush .
“ They returned two hours later and attacked mourners during the funeral of the victims in the cemetery, killing three more and injuring several others , ” he said .
Rural communuties in the agrarian state are under siege from gangs who kill, loot and torching homes.
This has prompted villages to form vigilante groups — which in turn are often accused of extra- judicial killings of suspected cattle thieves, prompting deadly reprisals by the gangs .
It was not clear if the latest killings were as a result of reprisals.
In February , dozens of people were killed when gunmen opened fire on traders and villagers at Birane , in the Zurmi area of the state.
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