At least nine people have been reported killed and many abducted following an attack in Nigeria’s northwest, residents and local officials said, amid increasing violence against farmers by what have been described as “bandit” gangs.

The deadly attack on Friday took place in Zamfara state, the epicentre of attacks by heavily armed men known locally as bandits who have been wreaking havoc across Nigeria’s northwest in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road.

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