At least 30 villagers have been killed while others were abducted by gunmen who raided a village in northern Nigeria’s Niger state, police said Sunday, the latest in a cycle of deadly violence in the conflict-hit region. The gunmen stormed the village and opened fire on residents. They also razed the local market and several houses. Two residents put the death toll at 37 and said it could be much higher because some people remain missing. Residents also said security forces had yet to arrive in the area, contradicting the police’s claim that they had been deployed to search for those kidnapped. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesman for the Catholic Church, confirmed the deaths of 40 people and said some of those abducted were children.
