"The bandits invaded about seven villages during the attack on Thursday at about 3:00 p.m. [14:00 GMT] and started shooting innocent and unarmed civilians sporadically," Abubakar said, adding that "the attack, unfortunately led to the deaths of 88 civilians including men and women."
According to the spokesman, the attack was primarily aimed at stealing cows, and police were able to rescue some of the rustled animals.
Cases of kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling in this part of the country have become commonplace in recent months. As cited in the report, Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu said last month that state and federal authorities had teamed up to tackle the uptick in crime.
