Armed groups in Nigeria kill over 200 people

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

Over 200 people, including policemen, have been killed in Nigeria in attacks by armed groups over the last few days, officials and sources said.

Armed groups, including bandits and secessionists, have stepped up attacks on civilians in remote communities and police stations.

In the northwestern Kebbi state, 88 people were killed by bandits on June 3. The attackers also rustled cattle and destroyed farmland.

State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu promised to take more pungent measures to safeguard the lives and properties of all citizens.

At least 41 farmers were murdered on their farmlands by suspected herders on Sunday in Zamfara, another neighboring northwestern state. It came four days after armed men killed 17 farmers in the same state.

In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said the surge in violence has led to people fleeing their homes, farms and grazing lands. Access to health facilities is also a challenge due to violence on the roads.

About a dozen policemen were also killed in attacks on police stations in the southeastern Enugu, Anambra, and Imo states earlier this month.

Separately, 45 people were killed, while scores injured in the southwestern Oyo state. Residents of Igangan, Ibarapaland were attacked late on June 5. Houses and other property were also set on fire.

State Governor Seyi Makinde in a statement urged "residents to remain calm as security operatives are now in control of the situation."

Northwest and central Nigeria are a hub of criminal gangs who raid villages and burn down homes.

Security forces are also battling a more than decade-long insurgency in the northeast.

*With additional input from News Desk in Ankara