18 killed in Nigeria clashes

ABUJA: At least 18 people and possibly many more have been killed in a clash between bandits and villagers in northwest Nigeria, police said on Friday, and President Muhammadu Buhari ordered security forces to track down those responsible.

Communal clashes have plagued swathes of Nigeria’s hinterland despite pledges by Buhari since he took power in 2015 to improve security, especially in the northeast, which also faces an insurgency by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

A police statement said the final death toll from Thursday’s attack in the village of Birani could well exceed the 18 confirmed deaths. Three villagers who witnessed the attack said more than 40 people had been killed.

The attackers came on motorcycles and opened fire on the villagers, Birani residents Hussaini Abdu, Salmanu Zurmi and Sani Musa told Reuters. They said the gunmen had also set fire to a vehicle with people inside.