According to the state administration, gunmen from a suspected criminal gang assaulted a local market in northwest Nigeria's Sokoto state, murdering 43 people.

Bandits, or heavily armed bands, have terrorized northwest and central Nigeria for years, invading and plundering towns, but attacks have escalated in recent months.

"Forty-three people have been confirmed dead following the attack by bandits in Goronyo village" on Sunday, Sokoto government spokesman Muhammad Bello said in a statement.