Abuja, Jun 19 (IANS): At least 60 people were killed in Nigeria Tuesday when some gunmen stormed four villages of Zamfara state early morning, residents and security sources said.

About 100 gunmen, first stormed Kizara village around 3.00 a.m. and began attacking the residence of poor villagers. In the process, an unknown number of people were killed, including the District Head of Kizara, Bello Ibrahim, who was brutally murdered in front of his wives and children, reported Xinhua citing the source.

The four affected villages were namely Kizara, Shemori, Danjibga, and Keita, said a source living in one of the affected areas.

A security source said at least 60 people were reported dead in all the attacks carried out in these villages. The source, however, could not explain why gunmen unleashed these attacks on these villages.

Some suspected criminals had made it a point of duty to lay ambush for women and children especially on market days for several months, the source added.

A senior police official confirmed the incident but declined to give detail.