Gunmen kill19 villagers in Zamfara

The spate of killings in the North took a strange turn Sunday as gunmen suspected to be Hausa/Fulani herdsmen attacked and killed 19 in Lingyado, a predominantly Hausa/Fulani village in Zamfara State.

Recent killings in the North often had ethno-religious coloration but Sunday's early morning attack is confounding the authorities who are now suspecting armed robbery.

In a style similar to Jos attacks, gunmen carrying machetes attacked Lingyado, going from house to house posing as visitors before shooting and slashing 19 people to death, witnesses and police said according to The Associated Press (AP) report.

About 150 attackers surrounded the village and roamed between its compounds, shooting residents who came out to greet them, Husaini Dansadau told AP.When theshootingbegan,many who were ableto flee ran away.Some of the gunmen shouted that they would rape the women they found, a witness and brother to one of the victims, Ahmad Tsauri Lingyado, said.

The attackers reportedly used Kalashnikov rifles and machetes in the attack.

They also stole money and valuables before fleeing into the darkness.

Tsauri disclosed that they survived the attack by fleeing into corn fields.