The weekend witnessed three separate attacks in different parts of Nigeria, with at least 26 people confirmed dead.
In the most severe, armed men assaulted the Mbalom community in Gwer West, Benue State, on Sunday, killing 17 civilians, according to locals.
Suspected militants opened fire on a police facility in Borno State on Sunday evening, resulting in four police fatalities after they were drawn into a gunfight with armed intruders. The extremist group known to be active in the region has been accused of being behind the attack.
Meanwhile, five were shot dead by gunmen who went on a shooting spree at a local assembly meeting in Kaduna State. Officials confirmed security agents foiled another attempt to abduct residents.
Local officials reported that the attacks happened on the Easter weekend, a period already notorious for increased security tensions in the north of the country.
The causes of the current insecurity in northern Nigeria are a volatile mix of ongoing extremism by armed gangs and conflict between cattle herdsmen and agricultural communities.
An investigation has been launched by security forces, which have now been dispatched to the affected communities amid fear of further assaults.
The attacks follow a series of security concerns that have remained on the rise despite military campaigns aimed at bringing stability to afflicted regions of Nigeria.
