LAGOS, May 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people have been killed following an attack by gunmen in Nigeria's northwestern state of Katsina, local police said on Wednesday.
The gunmen came on about 150 motorcycles on Tuesday evening and attacked Gobirawa and Sabawa villages in Safana area of the state, Gambo Isah, a police spokesman told reporters in the state capital of Katsina.
Isah added that the "bandits" rustled a number of animals and took away other valuables after killing the innocent persons.
According to him, the police immediately dispatched police patrol teams to the affected communities, engaged the gunmen in gun duel and chased them away, noting that the police are making efforts to arrest them.
A series of gunmen attacks have been reported since the beginning of this year.
A total of 1,071 people were killed in crime-related cases across the country in the first quarter of 2019, said the acting Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu on Tuesday while addressing a Northern Traditional Rulers' Council meeting in Kaduna state.
He said the killings were most prevalent in the north where 767 people were killed, with the northwest region topping the list with 436.
