At least 43 people killed in gunmen attack on village market in northwestern Nigeria: Reports

Lagos: Forty-three people were killed in an armed attack on a village market in the Nigerian state of Sokoto in the northwest of the country, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday, citing the state government.

"Forty-three people have been confirmed dead following the attack by bandits in Goronyo village on Sunday," Sokoto government spokesman Muhammad Bello was quoted as saying by AFP.

The investigation into the incident is currently underway, the agency said.

Earlier on Monday, the local Premium Times newspaper reported about more than 30 dead and 20 injured in the armed assault on the market, citing eyewitnesses. The attack took place on Sunday when about 200 gang members broke into the market on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately, the newspaper said.

On October 8, another village market was raided by bandits in a village near Nigeria's border with Niger, killing 19 people.

The northern parts of Nigeria have been suffering from instability for years because of the activities of multiple criminal groups and the Boko Haram terrorists who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. (UNI)