Gunmen kill 17 in raid on Nigerian farming village

Gunmen from criminal gangs killed 17 farmers in a raid on a rural community in northwest Nigeria, an official said Saturday, in the latest wave of attacks in the restive region.

Weeks into the annual rainy season, jihadists and criminal gangs -- kidnappers for ransom and cattle thieves known locally as bandits -- have stepped up attacks on farming communities in northern and central Nigeria that fail to pay levies they impose.

The violence has forced many farmers to keep off their land, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning such attacks could "aggravate poverty and food insecurity" in the country.

Bandits on several motorcycles attacked the Tungar Baure village of Zamfara state and opened fire on Friday, Yahaya Abubakar Yari, political administrator of Talata Mafara district, told AFP.

"The criminals killed 17 people and abducted an unspecified number in the attack on the village," said Yari, who attended the victims' funeral.

"Communities in the district have been under persistent attacks from bandits due to lack of enough security personnel", said Yari.

The attack took place in the home district of junior defence minister Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who has previously pledged to deploy 2,000 troops to help fight the gangs.

A video seen by an AFP reporter showed scores of angry Tungar Baure residents barricading a highway in protest over the killings and calling for the deployment of troops to protect them.

On June 12, bandits killed another 17 farmers and injured five others while they were working on their farms in a village in neighbouring Maradun district, according to local officials and residents.