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At least 30 people died, and several others died kidnapped After gunmen attack a village Nigeria.
Police said gunmen stormed into Kasowan-Dage in the Borgou region of Niger state in the country’s north.
Niger state police spokesman Wasiou Abiodun said in a statement that they also razed a local market and several houses after shooting at residents.
At least two residents put the death toll at 37 and said the death toll was likely much higher because some people were still missing.
Residents also said security forces had not yet arrived in the area, contradicting police claims that officers had been deployed to search for the abductees.
Rev. Stephen Kabilat, spokesman for the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Contagora where the attack took place, told local media that the gunmen killed more than 40 people, some of whom were children.
One resident, who requested anonymity because he feared for his safety, said the gunman had been lurking in the neighborhood for about a week before the attack. Now the survivors are afraid to recover the bodies.
“The bodies are there (Kasuwan-Daj). How can we go there if we don’t see any security?” the resident said, adding that the attack lasted for up to three hours.
Such attacks are common in Africa’s most populous country, where dozens of gangs seeking control often target remote communities with limited security and government presence.
Saturday’s attack in Kasuwan-Daji occurred near the Papiri community, where more than 300 students and their teacher were abducted from a Catholic school in November.
Police said the attackers who attacked Kasuwandaji came from the national park forest in the Kabe region, suggesting that the abandoned and vast forest reserve serves as a hideout for armed gangs.