Bandits kill 25 people in fresh attacks in northern Nigeria

Abuja,
Bandits have killed 25 persons in the troubled Kaduna state in north central Nigeria, where ethnic violence has prevailed for decades.
Despite the military’s efforts to curtail banditry, at least 31 people were killed last week by bandits in different locations in Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara states.

Kaduna state, infamous for being a hideout for bandits, remains one of the areas most dreaded by locals and visitors following deaths and kidnappings for ransom.
Two separate attacks on Saturday – in Birnin Gwari and Kajuru local government areas – left at least 19 people dead and several injured.
Six people were killed the previous day when bandits opened fire on commuters on Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road.
Severe damage
The Kaduna State Commissioner for internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, said the Saturday attacks took place at Kutemeshi and Kujeni villages.

He said that at Kujeni in Kajuru, many people were left with bullet wounds.
Some shops were looted with valuable items carted away by the attackers during the operations, he said.
The attackers also burnt several houses, storehouses with foodstuff, warehouses loaded with building materials, and a Church.
Aruwan said some of the injured people were taken to a state closer to Kutemeshi for urgent medical attention and others to an orthopedic hospital in Kaduna.
He said the bandits who attacked commuters were escaping aggressive patrols by security agencies in the Birnin Gwari area, and that they used the highway around Ungwan Dangedda, shooting at several vehicles as they retreated.

A driver of a commercial vehicle reportedly lost control after he was hit. The vehicle rolled several times.
Relief
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, who has been monitoring the security situation at various locations since Friday, expressed sadness over the attacks.
He further directed the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to urgently provide relief materials to the affected communities.
Meanwhile, troops backed by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole, overran terror group Boko Haram’s campls in the North-east at the weekend, killing over 60 insurgents.
The incident came after new service chiefs visited Borno state.
The troops took control of several camps of the ISIS-linked jihadists, with two senior commanders escaping after several high-ranking militants were killed.