The killings took place in a remote village in Zamfara State on Tuesday October 30.

Armed robbers shot dead 20 people on Tuesday October 30 in Nigeria's northern-western Zamfara State in an area plagued by violent clashes between vigilante and criminal groups, reports said.

The Nigerian Tribune newspaper reported that the gang - armed with AK-47 rifles – arrived on horses and motor cycles and their attack lasted about two hours. The Zamfara State Government Spokesman, Nuhu Salihu Anka, confirmed the incident, saying it took place in Kaboro village, about 120 km from the State capital, Gusau. According to him, the raid by the bandits also left two other people badly wounded, the AFP news agency said.

Anka said the bandits stormed the village and began shooting indiscriminately. After several people had been killed, the local Chief appealed to them to stop shooting, but they instead killed him. The robbers then went from house to house, seizing cash and other valuables before fleeing.

A gang of robbers killed 23 people in the nearby villages of Dan-Gulbi and Guru in June in a raid where some of the victims' throats were slit. The June slaughter was reportedly carried out by gunmen seeking revenge against a community militia. Locals said at the time that the vigilante force that had grown tired of repeated robberies in the area, had killed several people they accused of being gang members.

Armed robbery raids in Zamfara have previously involved scores of attackers. Up to 80 gunmen riding on motor cycles were reported to have carried out the June massacre, while in January, about 100 robbers killed and then burned the bodies of 15 traders as they returned from a market.

Northern Nigeria has also been hit by waves of attacks by radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, but the worst violence has been concentrated in the northeast and central north. Northwestern states like Zamfara have largely been spared by the extremist group and there was no indication that Boko Haram was involved in the latest attack.