At least 17 farmers were killed and dozens more injured when armed men attacked farmland in Zamfara state in northwestern Nigeria on Friday, a local official and a resident told the AP.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in the Goron Namaye community in the Maradun area.
The farmers were working on their land when the bandits suddenly attacked, Shehu Musa, a resident of Maradun, told the AP.
The Zamfara state government had refused to negotiate with the perpetrators before the attack, said Sanusi Dosara, chairman of the Maradun local government. He is calling on government forces to fight the group, which is said to have fled to a forest area.
