Gunmen Kill 11 Villagers in Northern Nigeria

Motorcycle-riding gunmen in northern Nigeria have killed 11 people, local government and community leaders said Wednesday, in the latest violence in the area.

The attack on Monday came a day after assailants gunned down 18 wedding guests in a nearby village.

The gunmen stormed Gora Gan village in Kaduna state after dark and opened fire on residents, said Elias Manza, administrative head of Zangon Kataf district. “The gunmen killed 11 people in the attack and left 15 with serious injuries,” he said.

The attackers also torched houses, a church, a car, and seven motorcycles.

Community leader Jonathan Asake, who gave a similar toll, said hundreds had fled their homes for fear of renewed attacks. “We have a total of 559 people who are afraid to go back to their homes and are sheltering in a primary school in the (nearby) town of Zonkwa,” he said.

Southern Kaduna has been wracked by a long-standing row between Muslim Fulani herders and ethnic Christian farmers over grazing and water rights.

There has been an upsurge in tit-for-tat killings between the two groups in recent times, prompting the state authorities to initiate an unsuccessful truce.

The Nigerian presidency said in a statement Tuesday the violence was “more complicated than many people are willing to admit.” It added that “revenge killings were worsening the conflict and making efforts of security personnel in ending the violence difficult.”