At least 23 people, including three children, were killed Tuesday in three separate attacks blamed on jihadists and criminal gangs in northeastern and northwestern Nigeria, according to two security reports.
Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed 11 people in a raid on a village in northeastern Borno state, while 12 others were killed in attacks on two villages in northwestern Zamfara state, according to two security reports prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP.
Jihadists have been waging a 17-year armed insurgency in the northeast, while kidnapping-for-ransom gangs known as bandits have been terrorising communities in the northwest and central Nigeria for more than a decade.
Suspected Boko Haram jihadists on several motorcycles attacked the Pubago community in Rumirgo district in Borno late on Tuesday, according to one of the reports.
Some residents were still missing, the report said, warning the toll could be higher.
In separate attacks the same day, bandits raided Rumbuki and Nikai villages in Zamfara state’s Bukkuyum district, another report said.
The attackers, on several motorcycles, raided Rumbuki, “killing nine people and injuring eight other residents”, with several people missing, the report said.
They killed at least “three children” in the attack on Nikai village.
Although bandits are motivated by financial gain with no ideological leaning, their increasing alliance with jihadists has been a source of concern for authorities and analysts.
Boko Haram and rival ISWAP jihadist groups have in recent times intensified attacks on bases and communities in the northeast, resulting in civilian and military losses, including senior military commanders.
Bandits have continued to raid villages, killing residents, kidnapping for ransom and looting homes before burning them.
The Nigerian military has been stretched to the limit, as troops deployed to fight jihadists, bandits and separatists in the southeast complain of fatigue and inadequate weapons.
By Agencies
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