KANO (NIGERIA) (AFP) – Gunmen believed to be cattle rustlers have killed 36 miners in northern Nigeria, the government and residents said Tuesday, the latest in a long-running series of such raids.
Motorcycle-riding attackers struck late on Monday at a goldmine outside Bindin village in northern Zamfara state, shooting dead miners and gold merchants, they said. The state governor condemned the attack “in strongest terms” in a government statement, describing it as an “act of terrorism”.
The statement said an investigation had been launched, while local residents said it was just the latest deadly raid by cattle thieves on herding communities in the state.
“We have no doubt that the cattle thieves that have been terrorising us were behind the attack,” resident Lawwali Usmanu told AFP. “We buried 36 bodies of those killed in the attack today. For us it is a day of mourning,” he said.
Zamfara is known for its huge gold deposits and mines still using traditional methods. A local chief said the gunmen entered the mine tunnels, shooting dead the miners after killing traders standing at the surface.
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