Gunmen shoot dead 18 in northwestern Nigeria over cattle

The bandits were mobilised by cattle rustlers who had been prevented from stealing cows. Some local media reports put the death toll as high as 40.

Police said gunmen shot dead at least 18 people in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state.

File photo shows a vigilante sitting on the ground with his gun in the village of Bakin Kogi, in Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria, that was attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen. (AFP)

State police spokesman Muhammad Shehu said an armed gang ambushed a group of residents in Birani village. He said the bandits were mobilised by cattle rustlers who had been prevented from stealing cows.

Some local media reports put the death toll as high as 40.

The incident is the latest in a series of killings by armed men who attack villages in northwestern Nigeria to steal cattle.

Amnesty International says thousands of people have been displaced and at least 168 killed since the beginning of this year as farmers and nomadic herdsmen fight over land in five Nigerian states.