Gunmen kill at least 30 in highway ambush in Nigeria's Zamfara

Armed gunmen ambushed travelers on a highway in northwestern Nigeria's Zamfara state late Sunday, killing at least 30 people including civilians, hunters and a community security volunteer, according to a United Nations security report obtained by AFP.

The attack reflects the persistent threat from armed groups known locally as "bandits" that have carried out repeated assaults across Nigeria's northwest. Zamfara state has been among the most severely affected areas in the region.

The security report, prepared for the United Nations and obtained by AFP, identified the dead as "30 individuals, including civilians, hunters and a community protection guard," according to AFP. The attack took place late Sunday on a highway in Zamfara state, located in the northwest of Nigeria.

The victims were traveling along the highway when the gunmen struck, the report said. Among the dead were members of a community protection guard — a local volunteer force organized to help defend communities against armed threats.

The perpetrators were described as armed gunmen, referred to locally as "bandits," a term widely used in the region for criminal armed groups that have targeted highways and villages across Nigeria's northwest, according to AFP.

AFP obtained the United Nations security document and reported its contents. No further details on the circumstances of the ambush or the identities of the perpetrators were immediately available from the AFP report.

AFP obtained the United Nations security report documenting Sunday's deadly ambush. The attack in Zamfara state added to what regional security monitors have described as recurring armed violence affecting communities across Nigeria's northwest.