Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers killed 27 persons including a policeman on Monday in Dangulbi and other villages in the Dansadau Emirate of Zamfara State, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

An eyewitness, Alhaji Lawalli Dangulbi, who spoke to reporters at the Gusau Specialist Hospital, said there was pandemonium in the village when the robbers struck.

He said the assailants shot sporadically, killing 18 persons instantly.

However, another source said the hoodlums slit some of the residents’ throats and shot others.

“They went door-to-door shooting villagers and in some cases slitting their throats with knives,” a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.

The gruesome raids by a gang said to be made up of about 80 people on motorbikes occurred in the dead of night.

Danguibi, an All Nigeria Peoples Party chief, said the other dead bodies were discovered in neighbouring villages of Biya, Guru and Sabuwar Kasuwa.

He said he managed to carry eight wounded persons from the scene of the attack which, he said, was over 100 kilometres from the state capital, Gusau for treatment.

A large number of people were also wounded, including a policeman.

The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Gwary, was however, not available for comments.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sanusi Amiru, confirmed the incident but refused to give further details.

NAN learnt that the attack might be a reprisal for an earlier ambush on the criminals’ enclave in the emirate by security officials and vigilance groups.

The attackers reportedly, did not take anything from their victims during the attack.

In October 2011, armed bandits raided Lingyado village in Zamfara state, killing 19 people in reprisals over the killing of fellow gang members by local vigilantes with the aid of villagers.

In January, armed robbers killed 15 traders returning from a market in neighbouring Katsina State and burnt their bodies along with the truck they were driving in an ambush near the town of Birnin-Magaji in Zamfara State.

Source:http://www.punchng.com/news/robbers-on-revenge-mission-kill-27-in-zamfara/

God help us in Nigeria.