In brief
Police in Bukkuyum town, Zamfara State, said they recovered more than 30 bodies believed to be bandits after repelling a raid on Oct. 28. The bodies were found scattered across farmlands a few days later, with security forces assessing them as those of the attackers. Ongoing operations aim to purge armed groups from the area amid a history of banditry in northwest Nigeria.
More than 30 bodies, believed to be fleeing attackers, were recovered by Nigerian police and residents in Bukkuyum town, Zamfara State, several days after a bandit raid on Oct. 28, the police said Sunday.
Yazid Abubakar, spokesperson for the Zamfara State police, told Xinhua that security operatives confronted suspected bandits in a gunfight, most of whom fled the scene wounded, and that the corpses were found scattered in farmlands by police and locals early this week.
"The corpses are believed to be those of the fleeing bandits due to the superior firepower of the security operatives," he added.He said the police are still conducting operations in Bukkuyum to dislodge armed groups operating in the area.
The incident follows a February attack in which more than 150 armed men on motorcycles stormed a community in Bukkuyum, firing indiscriminately at residents and setting buildings ablaze, killing at least 50 people and abducting dozens. Nigerian law‑enforcement agencies have repeatedly cited the region as a focus for gang‑related violence and kidnapping, and the current operation reflects an intensified effort to curb banditry in the northwest. This latest recovery of bodies suggests that police firepower may have put an end to the attackers’ advance, though the exact number and identities of the deceased remain unconfirmed by independent sources.