Gunmen kill 17 in north Nigeria village attack

The assault came just days after 25 people were killed in similar raids on two villages in the region.

Gunmen on motorcycles stormed Magami village in the Maradun district area of the state on Saturday, shooting indiscriminately as residents fled.

"After the attack, we collected 17 dead bodies which we buried," Magami resident Kasimu Bello told AFP.

"The gunmen entered the village on several motorcycles, shooting people as they tried to flee," he said.

Another resident Umaru Bawa confirmed the attack, saying "the bandits pursued people like chickens and shot them dead as they ran into the bush."

Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said his operatives would arrest and "bring to justice the perpetrators of this dastardly act."

He also vowed to end the rampant armed attacks in the state.

On Wednesday, 25 people were killed when gunmen raided two villages in Birnin Magaji district of the state.

Farming and herding communities in Zamfara have for years been wracked by cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom, prompting villagers to form vigilante gangs as a protection force.

However, the villagers too are accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings of suspected bandits, leading to tit-for-tat violence.

In April, troops were deployed to Zamfara to fight the gangs and police banned the civilian militia in an attempt to curb the cycle of reprisals.

Last month, police claimed to have killed 104 bandits in Birnin Magaji district during a clash in which 16 policemen were killed.