Gangs kill dozens of people in a series of attacks in northern Nigeria | New

Gunmen killed dozens of people during a wave of attacks in northern Nigeria, the latest violence perpetrated by criminal gangs attacking villages and stealing cattle.

The series of attacks perpetrated in the night of Saturday to Sunday in the state of Sokoto (north-west) has caused at least 43 deaths.

"They opened fire on the village indiscriminately," Abdullahi Dantani of the village of Satiru, where 18 people were murdered, told AFP.

In Rabah District, Sokoto State, armed men entered four villages – Rukunni, Tsage, Giire and Kalfu – killing 25 people.

"Several domestic animals were stolen by the attackers," AFP Ibrahim Kaoje, the top police chief of Sokoto State, told AFP.

Four people were arrested in connection with these attacks, said Kaoje.

During separate attacks in the village of Satiru, in Isa district, in Sokoto, the attackers shot dead 18 people and stole animals.

"We lost 18 people in the raid of gunmen who came to the village on motorbikes," said Umeh Na-Ta'a ala, a villager from Satiru.

& # 39; Uptick in banditry & # 39;

Gangs have long been a scourge to rural communities in northern Nigeria, attacking villages, stealing livestock, burning homes, looting food and kidnapping for ransom.

Communities took up arms to defend themselves, although militiamen are often accused of extrajudicial killings of alleged bandits.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killings, expressing "his deep shock and sadness" in a statement released Sunday night.

"The perpetrators and sponsors of such despicable acts (will) will be held responsible," Buhari said.

Human Rights Watch on Monday warned of a "dramatic rise in banditry, kidnappings and killings" in the northwestern states of Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara, which border the state of Sokoto.

"Security forces have failed to respond effectively to threats to life and security of persons," said the rights group.

Gangs are one of the many security problems Nigeria faces, including attacks by Boko Haram fighters in the north-east of the country, as well as fighting between pastoralists and sedentary farmers.

These left the army overwhelmed and saw Buhari criticized for his failure to protect lives and property.

Buhari, who was sworn in last month for a second four-year presidential term, pledged to boost security.