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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Armed men killed at least 20 people and
injured dozens in a mining village in Nigeria’s northwestern
Zamfara state, a rights group said.
Gunmen arrived on motorcycles in the village of Gobirawa Chali
in the Dan Gulbi district around midday Thursday, and went on a
"house-to-house killing spree," Amnesty International Nigeria
said in a post on X the same day.
The gunmen’s first target was a gold-mining site where they
initially killed 14 people, before more bodies were found inside
homes and in a mosque.
The possible motive for the attack was unclear but bandit groups
have been known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in
the conflict-battered northern region, most of them former
herders in conflict with settled communities.
Dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security
presence in Nigeria’s mineral-rich northwestern region to carry
out attacks on villages and along major roads.
“The people of Dan Gulbi district have been repeatedly attacked
by gunmen and continue to live perpetually in fear of a
potential attack,” Amnesty International Nigeria said in its
post, adding that many people are missing since the attack.
The rights group said that residents of the district often
require armed security escorts to travel in and out of the area
because of the frequent attacks.
Rabi’u Bawa, a resident of Gobirawa Chali, told The Associated
Press that the raid on the community was a reprisal for an
attack that residents had successfully repelled on Wednesday.
“They lost about seven of their men in that attack,” he said.
Bawa said the people responsible for the attack are loyal to
Dogo Gide, a notorious bandit who has been terrorizing
communities in the state of Zamfara for months.
Last December, gunmen abducted at least 50 people, including
several women and children, in the Maradun area of Zamfara.
Kidnappings for ransom have become a lucrative way for bandit
groups to fund other crimes and control villages in the restive
region.
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