Gunmen kill at least 19 at gold mine in Nigeria’s Zamfara state
THE DEFENSE POST
Gunmen attacked an artisanal gold mining site in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, killing at least 19 people, a mining union official and Amnesty International told AFP on Friday.
“Bandits attacked the mining site at noon and killed 19 people, including five vigilantes providing security to the miners,” said Yahaya Adamu Gobirawa, a union official. Amnesty’s country director, Isa Sanusi, cited a death toll of 20 based on multiple sources.
“The bandits went directly to the goldmine and killed instantly 14 miners, but more bodies were later discovered, including those who died later as a result of bleeding,” Sanusi said.
Police said they were still verifying reports of the attack, which took place Thursday in Gobirawar Chali village, Maru district.
Gobirawa called the attack “unprovoked,” adding that the gunmen had first attempted a raid Tuesday but were repelled. “They returned in much larger numbers and overwhelmed the miners and the vigilantes,” he said.