Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram militants have killed 13 farmers in central Nigeria, an area where jihadists from the north-east of the country are allied with criminal gangs, sources in the region told AFP on Thursday.

Northwest and central Nigeria have been plagued for years by gang activity, which the authorities generally call bandits: they raid villages, kill, kidnap, loot and set fire to shops, houses…

Jihadists operating in the northeast of Africa’s most populous country have recently forged closer ties with thugs in Niger state, where they now have a strong presence, officials and analysts say.

Last Wednesday, gunmen riding motorcycles stormed the Anguwan Mai Giro community in Shiroro District and opened fire on farmers, including three women.

A security source and a UN official in the area said thirteen people were killed in the attack, which was attributed to Boko Haram, members of which have camped in the area.

“The attackers,” who were “apparently Boko Haram terrorists,” killed “13 people working on a private farm outside Magami village,” the source told the security forces.

Most of the victims were found with “a bullet in the head”, which “shows that the terrorists attacked with the intent to kill”, he added.

A UN worker in the area gave the same account and pointed out that the victims had been displaced from the nearby community of Alawa, forced to leave six months ago.

In April, Boko Haram members killed two soldiers and militia members in Alawa village, forcing the armed forces to withdraw their men from the community. Fearing new attacks, the residents left the village. The criminals then occupied houses and crops.