Gunmen on motorcycles killed at least 32 people and abducted several more during attacks on three villages in northern Nigeria on Saturday, according to witnesses and local police. The raids in the Borgu area of Niger State highlighted the ongoing security crisis in the region, which includes armed groups affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) and gangs that abduct people for ransom, according to multiple reports.
The attacks, which occurred in the north-west Nigerian villages, saw assailants riding in on motorbikes and shooting indiscriminately, burning houses and shops, residents said. The violence has intensified pressure on the Nigerian government to restore stability, as insecurity remains a pressing concern. Military personnel were seen guarding areas following a deadly raid in Doma, Katsina State, on February 4, according to The Guardian.
The attacks in Nigeria occurred amid a backdrop of other global events. In Mozambique, Cyclone Gezani hit the southern coastal province of Inhambane, killing at least four people, officials reported. The cyclone followed a path of destruction through Madagascar, where at least 41 people died.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russian forces launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight on Saturday, killing an elderly woman and damaging residential buildings, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians in new attacks, in yet another violation of the United States-brokered ceasefire in October, medical sources said. The Israeli military also launched attacks on southern Lebanon, targeting what it called warehouses used by the Hezbollah armed group, according to Al Jazeera.
The attacks in Nigeria put the spotlight anew on the country's efforts to contain security threats, which recently drew strong criticism from US President Donald Trump, according to Al Jazeera.
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