200 dead, thousands displaced after Nigeria attacks surge
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Authorities struggle to restore order after multiple raids in the northwest.
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Gangs kill and kidnap citizens over clashes regarding land access. (Getty Images)
The total number of casualties in Nigeria has reached 200 as of Sunday.
At least 140 people were killed by gunmen known in Nigeria as "bandits" in several raids this week in the northwest of the country.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, described the recent assaults in Zamfara State as "horrific and tragic," providing the official toll.
In a statement by her spokeswoman on Sunday, Farouq confirmed that over "200 persons were buried... due to the invasion by bandits."
Adding that aid was sent to Zamfara, the Minister expressed concern over displaced individuals fleeing from their communities.
According to Farouq, 10,000 people were displaced when "their homes were razed by the bandits while scores are still missing."
Four villagers told AFP on Saturday that gunmen killed at least 140 people in the Anka and Bukkuyum regions over two days.
According to Babandi Hamidu, a resident of Kurfa Danya village, militants were killing anyone they saw.
The governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, reported only 58 were killed.
In an attempt to weaken the bandits, Matawalle enacted very restrictive policies for over three months last year, shutting down telecoms, restricting gasoline sales, and halting livestock markets, but his efforts were in vain.
Act of desperation?
The Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described the assaults on Saturday as "an act of desperation by mass murderers," adding that he is "fiercely determined to smoke out and destroy these outlaws."
The government formally designated bandits as terrorists on Wednesday and vowed to enact tougher punishments.
Last year, bandits grabbed international headlines after abducting hundreds of kids from schools and universities in a series of mass abductions.
Students are frequently freed after paying ransom to the robbers, but according to the UN, 200 were still abducted in September.
According to a local authority, 30 children and a teacher were liberated on Saturday after being held captive for seven months in Kebbi State.
According to the Nigerian armed forces, 537 armed bandits had been killed since May of last year, and 374 were arrested.
Security analysts believe the series of attacks might be in retaliation to previous military actions.
Bandits loyal to infamous gang boss Bello Turji sustained significant losses in ground and air attacks on their woodland bases last month.
According to locals, the operations were in retaliation to a vigilante attack on a caravan of bandits attempting to migrate elsewhere in the state.
