At least 45 killed in Nigeria's village attack

LAGOS — At least 45 people have been confirmed dead and others wounded during an attack at Gwaska village in Nigeria's central north Kaduna state, eyewitnesses said Sunday.

The victims were killed on Saturday afternoon when scores of suspected bandits raided Gwaska village, in Birnin-Gwari area of Kaduna state, a local vigilante group told Xinhua.

The group, Birnin-Gwari Vanguards for Security and Good Governance, said 45 bodies were recovered by vigilantes and volunteers with the assistance of soldiers on Sunday afternoon.

The attack came barely a week after the killing of 14 miners at a mining site at Janruwa area of the same state.

The bandits, on motorbikes, stormed the Gwaska village via Zamfara state, said Bala Abdulahi, a member of the vigilante group.

The bandits shot sporadically and killed anybody in sight, Abdulahi said.

Confirming the incident, the state government said a battalion of the Nigerian Army would be permanently stationed in the area to halt the killings.

State governor Nadir el-Rufai said he has been engaging with the federal government on the matter and that he has directed the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials to those affected.