The gunmen fired their weapons at residents of Majifa village in the local area of Kankara, many of whom fled in panic into a nearby bush, the source said.

It also said that after the attack the bandits abducted several women and children, for whose release they might demand ransom payments.

The Public Relations Officer in Katsina State, Gambo Isah, said in a separate statement that after the incident, the security forces pursued the bandits, in whose ranks several deaths were reported.

In Nigeria, where elections for governors and state legislative assemblies will be held tomorrow, armed groups, including bandits and the extremist group Boko Haram, frequently attack villagers.

jrr/jav/mem/obf.