Gunmen on motorbikes killed 22 villagers in a western Niger community, in the latest attack to hit a region plagued by terrorist groups.

A resident of Tondikiwindi, near the village of Takoubat, told AFP that on Monday morning, “armed men” on motorbikes stormed the village and opened fire on locals gathered for a baptism ceremony, killing 15 people.

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He added that the attackers then moved towards the outskirts of Takoubat, where they killed seven more people.

Local television station Elmaestro TV confirmed the toll.

“Twenty-two innocent people were brutally killed without any justification or reason,” the channel reported.

Despite a heavy military presence in Tillabéri, a region bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, terrorist violence continues to spread there, targeting both civilians and soldiers alike.

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