The raids, carried out by criminal groups locally known as bandits, targeted villages in Sokoto State on Thursday, following several days of deadly assaults in the country’s predominantly Muslim north.

Ahmad Yahaya, a community leader in Dan Adua village, said at least 12 people were killed and 43 abducted across Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas during the attacks. He said heavily armed gunmen carried out the raids.

Lawmaker Muhammad Saidu Bargaja, who represents the affected areas, confirmed the violence, reporting similar casualty figures and describing the security situation as “highly devastating.”

The districts are believed to be under the influence of Bello Turji, a notorious gang leader whose network imposes levies on communities and conducts retaliatory raids against those who refuse to comply.

The latest violence comes amid a wider escalation of attacks by both criminal gangs and jihadist groups. Earlier in the week, a senior military officer, Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, was killed along with several troops during an overnight assault on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, according to local officials and intelligence sources.

Separate attacks in the northwestern states of Kebbi and Niger have also left at least 90 people dead since Sunday, based on figures from local authorities, humanitarian groups and church sources.

The surge underscores ongoing security challenges in northern Nigeria, where armed groups continue to target civilians, security forces and infrastructure despite military operations aimed at curbing the violence.

Court slapped five of them seven years of imprisonment while 15 of them have received two years of imprisonment.

On August 20, a body of Vimalesh Sah, 19, a resident of Damodarpur village of Bihar, was found on railway tracks after a day he went missing.

Villagers suspected a Dalit-woman of the area for the murder. They made a large-scale arson on her house, took her out to severely beat her, and later stripped her naked in front of the village, while the women and children were watching. She was forced to parade in the village all nude.

The five culprits who received seven-years imprisonment 0were also fined Rs.10000 each along, and the rest of them were fined Rs.2000 each.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar tweeted, “It is a fresh example of the high benchmark of rule of law set by the NDA government. All the guilty have been punished within 100 days. But those beating their chests on law and order remain oblivious to the long arms of law”.

They are all booked under SC/ST Act, and speedy trial has taken place since the northern states of India have always faced high rate of caste related crimes.