Gunmen killed 24 people in attacks in northwestern and central Nigeria, including soldiers escorting traders, residents and aid workers told Agence France-Presse in reporting published on 12 October.
Accounts of the convoy ambush in Zamfara state differed substantially. AFP reported 13 killed, while Reuters cited a resident and a military source reporting at least 20 deaths.
“The bandits killed 13 people in the ambush, including eight soldiers, one policeman and four traders, including a woman,” local chief Lawal Muhammad told AFP.
Both agencies described a convoy leaving Gwashi for a market in Bukkuyum district. Their sources gave different destinations and timings, leaving uncertainty over whether they were describing the same incident.
The attacks occurred in regions where armed gangs kidnap residents for ransom and steal livestock. Armed groups also conduct raids on communities, forcing residents from their homes, AFP reported.
Muhammad said 11 people, including three soldiers, were wounded and taken to hospital. Resident Jamilu Umar told AFP that attackers stole goods from the convoy and burned three vehicles.
Reuters separately quoted resident Musa Danladi, who helped recover bodies, as saying the convoy was travelling under military escort towards Nasarawa market. AFP’s sources named its destination as Gurusu.
Danladi identified those killed as four soldiers, three police officers, a civil defence officer and 12 civilians. A military source told Reuters that 19 people were wounded.
Military and police authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The casualty figures could not be reconciled from the published accounts.
In central Niger state, two aid workers told AFP that a separate raid in Borgu district, near the border with Benin, killed 11 people. One identified four of those killed as local guards protecting the village.
That aid worker attributed the attack to Lakurawa militants. Another said residents fled across the border into Benin because they feared further attacks.
In a separate operation in northeastern Nigeria, the military said an air strike on 10 October killed more than 40 Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in Borno state.
Military spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni said the target was in Badu village, south of Gudumbali in Guzamala district, according to News Central TV. He said intelligence indicated fighters were preparing coordinated attacks on troops.
Goni said the casualty estimate came from preliminary intelligence and an assessment of damage. Two vehicles and about 20 motorcycles were also destroyed, he said, according to the broadcaster.
The Islamic State affiliate, a splinter group of Boko Haram, regularly attacks military bases in northeastern Nigeria, the Associated Press reported on 7 October.
Goni said further assessment of the Badu strike was continuing, according to News Central TV.
