Women, children drown fleeing attack in Nigeria’s north

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Several women and children drowned while trying to escape an armed attack in Nigeria’s troubled north, according to residents and a government official. The reports Thursday said the victims were fleeing an hours-long attack by unidentified gunmen in Zamfara state when their boats capsized. One resident said that 13 bodies had been recovered, but that other people were unaccounted for. A government official confirmed deaths occurred during the attack Wednesday night but without giving a number. The attack was the latest in a cycle of violence by armed groups targeting remote communities in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions. Officials often blame the violence on a long-running conflict between communities and herdsmen over access to water and land.