Eleven people, villagers and ranchers, were killed Wednesday in two separate gun attacks in the northern Nigerian state of Kantuna .
The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a police recruiting center, killing at least 12 people and wounding three others, officials said. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a police recruiting center in the village of Unguan Gayda in the Chikung district, said Samuel Arwan, the state’s internal security official. According to Mr. Arwan, “the death of eight residents was confirmed during this attack”, while a church and “many houses” were set on fire by the criminals.
Also yesterday, three ranchers were killed by “thugs” who attacked the village of Maraban Josh and stole an “unspecified number of cattle”, according to the same official. For the past ten years, gangs of thugs have terrorized the population of the northwestern and northwestern. They attack villages, commit animal theft, kidnap local celebrities or ransom travelers.
Recently, gangs have stepped up attacks on schools, kidnapping hundreds of students for ransom since December. Although these gangs operate solely for profit, they have no ideological coloration, and the possible entry into the ranks of jihadists who have been waging bloody guerrilla warfare in northeastern Nigeria for 12 years is a growing concern.
