At Least 88 Civilians Killed By Militants In Nigeria's Northwest - Police

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th June, 2021) Armed bandits attacked several villages in the Nigerian state of Kebbi, killing at least 88 local civilians and hijacking an unspecified number of cows, local police spokesman Nafi'u Abubakar told Nigeria's Peoples Gazette on Saturday.

"The bandits invaded about seven villages during the attack on Thursday at about 3:00 p.m. [14:00 GMT] and started shooting innocent and armless civilians sporadically," Abubakar said, adding that "the attack, unfortunately led to the deaths of 88 civilians including men and women.

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According to the spokesman, the attack was primarily�aimed at stealing the cows, and the police were able to rescue some of the rustled animals.

Cases of kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling in this part of the country have become commonplace in recent months. As cited in the report, Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu said last month that the state and Federal authorities teamed up to tackle such crime.