At least 200 people were massacred after dozens of gunmen attacked eight villages in northwestern Nigeria's Zafara province last week, local residents confirmed last night (Saturday) in what appears to be revenge for an airstrike by the army against rioters' bases.
The massacre, which lasted three days, was carried out by about 300 gunmen who were riding motorcycles, with whom they passed between the villages - and shot at the residents indiscriminately.
There is evidence of massive amputation, multiple burning of houses and theft of sheep as punishment for military action.
"Let me reassure these besieged communities and also other Nigerians, that this government will not abandon them to their fate, because we are more determined than ever to get rid of these outlaws," President Mohammadu Bohari said yesterday.
"The recent attacks on innocent people by the bandits are an act of despair of mass murderers, who are now under constant pressure from our military forces."
The government last week tagged the groups in Zafara province as terrorist organizations, a move that appears to be an attempt to increase pressure on the militants and give the army a free hand to fight against them.
The tragic event is a direct continuation of the violence that characterizes the northwestern region of the country, which is dominated for the most part by a number of gangs rather than by the government, which is having difficulty establishing order in the region.
Looting and kidnapping occur on a daily basis, and despite reinforcements by military forces - the responses from the authorities are insufficient, and civilians are forced to defend themselves against a network of bandits with more means and in higher numbers.
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