At least 32 people were killed and several others abducted when armed assailants attacked three villages in northern Nigeria’s Niger State on Saturday, according to local police and witnesses cited by Al Jazeera. The attackers, arriving on motorcycles, carried out violent raids across the villages, setting homes ablaze and kidnapping residents.

Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed that suspected terrorists struck Tunga-Makeri village, killing six people, burning houses, and abducting several villagers. In Konkoso, resident Jeremiah Timothy told Reuters that the assault began with sporadic gunfire before the attackers set fire to a police station, leaving at least 26 people dead. Authorities said the attackers included groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and local kidnapping gangs seeking ransom.

The attacks occurred near the Kainji forest along the Niger–Kwara border, an area known as a hideout for armed groups including Boko Haram and criminal gangs.