Gunmen have killed at least 15 people in two villages in northwest Nigeria, officials said

Abuja, Nigeria — Gunmen killed at least 15 people on Tuesday in two villages in northwest Nigeria, officials said.

The State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, said the attack took place in the afternoon on the neighboring communities of Falale and Kadobe villages in Jibia area of ​​Katsina state.

Muaju said local security forces had earlier killed three gunmen in a gunfight in the area. In retaliation, the gunmen carried out a retaliatory attack on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people.

“Security forces have restored order and stabilized the situation,” he said in a statement. “We appeal to residents to remain calm and allow the security forces to complete their investigation.”

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Armed groups known as ‘bandits’ regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the north-west and north-central part of Nigeria.

Officials said the bandit groups mostly included former herdsmen who took up arms against farming communities after clashes over increasing resources.

In addition to attacks by bandits, Nigeria has also been plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram militant group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State in the West Africa region. Both groups are mostly active in northeastern Nigeria.

On Monday, at least 23 people were killed and 108 injured in a suspected suicide bombing in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

The security crisis in Africa’s most populous country has recently worsened to include other militants from the neighboring Sahel region, including Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.

According to the United Nations, several thousand people have been killed in Nigeria. Analysts say the government is not doing enough to protect its citizens.

The US sent troops to the West African nation last month to advise its military in the fight against insecurity.