GUSAU, Nigeria: Armed criminal gangs raided several villages in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara state killing at least 15 people, local residents told AFP on Thursday.

Motorcycle riding gunmen who belong to kidnapping-for-ransom and cattle-rustling gangs, who locals call bandits, rode through eight villages in Dansadau district on Wednesday through Thursday, killing residents and looting homes.

Bandits have for years been terrorising rural communities in northwest and central Nigeria.

The violence started as conflict between Fulani cattle herders and farmers over land and water rights but morphed into organised crime.

“The bandits killed 15 people in the attacks which started from 10:00 am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday and lasted till dawn on Thursday,” Abubakar Musa, a spokesman for the traditional chief of the area said.

He added that they arrived on dozens of motorcycles and “launched simultaneous attacks on the villages, looting anything of value and shooting people as they tried to flee”.

His Dandallah village was the worst hit, with seven people killed, six injured while three others were missing, he said.

Musa said the raid was reprisals for the killing of a Fulani herder by local vigilantes in the area the previous day.

Shuaibu Ibrahim, whose Kuyambana village was also raided, gave the same toll, saying the gunmen “took away everything, including food stuff, clothing, livestock and motorcycles.”

Hundreds of residents fled to Dansadau town for fear of renewed attacks, according to Ahmed Mohammed, a Dansadau resident.

Rural communities in Zamfara state formed vigilante groups as community protection force against bandits, but are accused of extrajudicial killings of suspected bandits, leading to reprisals from bandits and a cycle of tit-for-tat killings.

Although local authorities banned vigilantes to stop the violence, they continue to operate due to lack of security personnel in remote communities.

Police told AFP they had not yet received any reports on the attacks.