At least 21 people were killed in clashes with armed bandits in Nigeria’s Zamfara state, local sources say.
Dozens of armed bandits on around 80 motorcycles stormed Bunkasau village in Bukkuyum district on Friday, triggering a shootout.
Villagers, refusing extortion levies, decided to resist attackers after repeatedly rejecting payments demanded by criminal gangs operating locally.
Police confirmed the incident and said they are investigating, while withholding further operational details from the media.
Local residents reported that 21 people were killed, though authorities have not independently verified the exact toll yet.
Community leader Lawwali Umar said the bandits killed 21 people after villagers ran out of ammunition completely.
Residents said attackers overpowered villagers after they exhausted ammunition and launched a final assault on the settlement.
The violence follows a recent surge in northern Nigeria, where over 100 people have been killed since Sunday alone.
Banditry in the region evolved from farmer-herder clashes into organised kidnapping and cattle rustling networks over recent years.
Government troops have been deployed in Zamfara since 2015, but peace deals and amnesties have repeatedly failed to stop violence.
