At least 30 people were killed after heavily armed attackers stormed a village in Kaduna State, northwestern Nigeria, in the early hours of Monday, according to local residents.
Village secretary Dogon Rana said the gunmen entered the community, opened fire indiscriminately and set houses ablaze during the attack.
Among those killed were eight children, while four other people were injured, he said.
Another resident and youth leader, Ishaya Dawa, said the attackers struck Naridon village in the Kauru Local Government Area shortly before midnight.
He said some victims were slaughtered, while others were shot, adding that several bodies had been taken to the mortuary.
“The victims include women, children and the elderly,” Dawa said, adding that the attackers burned homes before fleeing the area.
Security personnel reportedly arrived at the village several hours after the assault.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, northwestern and north-central Nigeria have been plagued by increasing violence from armed gangs and other criminal groups that frequently target rural communities.
Meanwhile, Kaduna State police spokesperson Mansur Hassan said authorities would release further details on the incident at a later stage.
