Nigeria: 23 dead in bandit attack

Survivors said gunmen on motorcycles rode through two villages in the Zamfara state of Nigeria early Tuesday, killing 23. Around 1 a.m., the attackers tore through the villages of Biya and Guru opening fire on residents with AK-47 rifles, police said. They killed 23 people and injured many others, the Daily Trust reported. Survivors said there were about 80 bandits, who they suspected raided homes one by one, creating a panic in neighboring villages. Tuesday's attack is the most recent in a spate of retaliatory attacks on citizens by bandits in the region, police said. State police command spokesperson Sansui Amiru could not be reached by The Trust for comment; however, Gov. Alhaji Abdul'aziz Yari Abubakar visited the villages Tuesday morning to console families and investigate the incident.