An unspecified number of gunmen have unleashed terror on Rijiya village in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, killing six persons and injuring many.

Some women and children were also kidnapped in the attack.

An eyewitness, who spoke with BBC Hausa, explained that the bandits stormed the community around noon on Sunday with motorcycles and started shooting sporadically resulting in the killing of the six villagers.

We were taken unaware when the bandits stormed the community and started house to house search for women. Those who were kidnapped were mostly married women and children, including nursing babies.

As I am talking, nobody can exactly say the number of people kidnapped as everyone was running helter-skelter for the safety of their lives,” a source said.

According to the source, the bandits penetrated the Rijiya community through the Tsafe Local Government Area of the state when some of the villagers were already on their farms.

“When we heard gunshots from the village we were apprehensive because we know that nowhere is saved in the state and most of us in the farms quickly ran away for safety.

I can identify all those killed during the attack, they were one Rufai, Sani Lawali who is a political adviser to the Governor, there is one Murtala whom they shot at the heart and two others that brought intervention but eventually killed by the bandits,” he added.

He said the corpses of those who lost their lives in the attack were in the custody of community members and would be buried according to Islamic injunctions on Monday.

Speaking further, the source said that about five others who sustained various degrees of injuries have been hospitalized and are receiving medical attention.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, could not be reached for comment about the incident.