Gunmen have killed at least 34 people in northwest Nigeria’s Kaduna State, including two soldiers, in the latest attack blamed on heavily-armed criminal gangs, local authorities said on Tuesday.

More than 200 homes were also destroyed in Sunday’s attack on four villages in the Kaura local government district, Kaduna State security commissioner Samuel Aruwan said in a statement.

“Security agencies have reported to the Kaduna State Government that after search operations and detailed checks, 34 people have been confirmed dead following Sunday’s attack in Kaura local government area,” he said.

“Two military personnel were among the 34 killed.”

Northwest and central Nigeria have long been terrorized by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, who raid villages, conduct mass kidnappings for ransom and steal cattle, but attacks and abductions have intensified.

Sunday’s attack came on the same day as another raid that killed 16 people in a remote village in northwestern Zamfara State.

A week earlier, gunmen killed 11 security personnel, including seven policemen and four vigilantes, in attacks in central and northwestern Nigeria.