LAGOS, Nigeria

At least 50 people were killed and several women and children abducted in an attack on a village in Nigeria's northwestern Zamfara State.

The assault, carried out by terrorists locally referred to as bandits, began Thursday night and continued into Friday morning, with attackers on motorcycles setting fire to buildings and shooting residents of the village of Tungan Dutse, who tried to flee

Hamisu Faru, a state lawmaker, confirmed the incident to Anadolu on Saturday.

“No one slept since Thursday and this morning. Some people lost three family members,” Faru told Anadolu.

The victims' bodies have been prepared for a mass burial, with corpses robed in white on Saturday. The number of abductees remains unclear, as local officials continue to account for the missing.

Nigeria's security situation is quite dire, especially in the country’s northwest, where Zamfara is located. The area has been plagued by bandit attacks, kidnappings, and killings, with thousands displaced and many more vulnerable.

The Nigerian government has taken some steps to address the issue, including deploying troops and collaborating with international partners like the US for technical support and intelligence sharing.

However, the situation remains challenging, with overlapping security threats from armed criminal gangs and rebel fighters.