Bandits kill 32 people in Nigeria
Thirty-two people were killed by bandits on motorbikes in Nigeria's Kaduna state.
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Armed gangs are rife across Nigeria's northwest.
Bandits on motorbikes killed 32 people and set fire to houses in various villages in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state on Sunday, authorities reported on Thursday.
Armed gangs are rife across Nigeria's northwest where they rob or kidnap for ransom, and violence has increasingly spread to other areas.
A statement by the state's ministry of internal security and home affairs revealed that the attackers targeted the villages of Dogon Noma, Ungwan Sarki, and Ungwan Maikori.
"An Air Force helicopter ... dispatched to the location, had earlier scanned the first two locations and sighted burnt houses and properties on fire," it added.
"The helicopter intercepted the bandits at the last location (Ungwan Maikori) and engaged them as they retreated, before the arrival of ground troops."
Bandits blew up a train between Kaduna, the state capital, and Abuja, the national capital, killing eight passengers, wounding 26 others, and holding others for ransom at the end of March.