Waves of ‘bandit’ massacres rupture rural life in north-west Nigeria

Last week more than 70 died in violence fuelled by poverty, ethnic divisions and competition for land

In the morning, reassurance, in the evening, another mass killing.

When the governor for Sokoto state in north-west Nigeria arrived in Sabon Birni, a district reeling from relentless killings by armed groups, he assured local officials that authorities were in control. Police reinforcements would arrive soon, he added.