Gunmen kill 11 villagers in Nigeria’s volatile northwest after wedding bloodshed

Unknown gunmen have raided a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna State, leaving nearly a dozen people dead and forcing hundreds of others to flee their homes in panic.

Local authorities and community representatives said Wednesday that a group of motorcycle-riding assailants had launched an overnight raid on the Gora Gan village and opened fire on locals.

“The gunmen killed 11 people in the attack and left 15 with serious injuries,” said Elias Manza, administrative head of the Zangon Kataf district.

The attackers also set fire to houses, seven motorcycles, a church and a car.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Asake, a community leader, said the assault promoted over 550 people to flee their homes.

He added they “are afraid to go back to their homes and are sheltering in a primary school” in a nearby town.

The latest bloodshed came a day after gunmen killed at least 18 people and wounded others at a wedding ceremony in Kaduna.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

'Bandits' kill 23 Nigerian troops in northwest: Security sources

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Kaduna has, over the past years, witnessed a wave of ethnic violence as well as raids by armed gangs, most notably the Daesh-affilated Boko Haram terror group.

Recently, there has been a rise in deadly clashes between predominantly Christian farmers and Muslim Fulani herders, a historically nomadic people who graze their cattle on the land.

A day after the wedding bloodshed, the Nigerian presidency warned against a rise in violence in the southern part of Kaduna, saying banditry, revenge killings and gang violence are to blame for unending killings in the region.

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