Nigeria gunmen kill 10, kidnap at least 40, report says

Gunmen killed 10 people and kidnapped at least 40 others in a village in northwest Nigeria, according to a security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP, and a local resident.

The Sunday raid targeted Tofa town in Sokoto state's Rabah district, the report said. Hadiyyatullahi Hamisu, a Tofa resident, gave the same toll and said the attackers also looted a large amount of livestock.

The report blamed the attack on bandits loyal to Bello Turji, a bandit leader from neighbouring Zamfara state. Rabah district borders Zamfara, where kidnapping and cattle-rustling gangs operate from forest camps spanning several northwestern and central states.

Police in Sokoto did not respond to AFP's inquiry on the incident.

The report said the attack was part of bandits' use of kidnappings as a source of revenue and violence to intimidate communities and reinforce control over affected areas. It also warned that the incident was likely to disrupt humanitarian work because of the heightened risk of attacks.

Gangs known locally as bandits operate across rural northwest and central Nigeria, raiding villages, kidnapping residents for ransom and imposing payments on farmers and miners. The gangs are described as financially motivated rather than ideological, though they have at times collaborated with jihadists.

Northwest Nigeria is under strain from both bandits and jihadists. Last month, around 30 Muslim worshippers were killed when suspected jihadists attacked Ungushi town in Sokoto's Kebbe district during Friday prayers, according to local officials.