Armed gangs kill 26 in Nigeria

Kano, Nigeria: Armed gangs killed 26 people in attacks across five districts in northwest Nigeria, officials said on Tuesday, in a region where criminal groups often raid villages to ransack or kidnap for ransom.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been under pressure as his military struggles to resolve a decade-long insurgency in the northeast, armed gangs in the northwest and communal conflicts in central regions.

The latest attacks were in northwest Kaduna state where 23 were killed over 24 hours in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Kauru local government areas (LGAs), state internal security commissioner Samuel Aruwan said. The deadliest attack was in Birnin Gwari, where 10 people were killed. The Nigerian air force was engaging with some of the armed groups in locations in the Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Giwa and Igabi LGAs, the official said in a statement.