At least 30 people killed in gunmen attack in NW Nigeria: official

LAGOS - At least 30 people were killed by gunmen who attacked Sunday night a town in northwest Nigeria's Sokoto state, the state governor said on Monday.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, governor of the state, said in a statement on Monday a group of bandits attacked on Sunday night the Goronyo town, the headquarters of the Goronyo local government area in the state, killing at least 30 people.

"Between last night...till this morning, we were greeted with a very dastardly attack in the Goronyo local government area, particularly Goronyo township, where scores and tens have lost their lives and still counting. We're not sure of the figure. But it is 30 something," Tambuwal said.

"We're faced and bedeviled by many security challenges in our own area here, particularly banditry, kidnapping and other associated crimes," he said.

The governor called for the presence of more security forces in the state and the deployment of more resources to deal with the security challenges.

A witness quoted by local daily the Premium Times as saying over 150 to 200 bandits on motorcycles rode through a nearby forest to a popular market in the Goronyo town on Sunday night.

"They went straight into the market and started shooting sporadically. They were not selective in their shooting; they obviously came to kill," the witness said.

There have been a series of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, leading to deaths and kidnappings.