A group of gunmen killed 23 people in Maru district in northern Nigeria, in what appeared to be a reprisal attack, the Nigerian Tribune reported on Monday.
According to the report, the armed men went from house to house in the early hours of Sunday morning while the villagers slept, killing and maiming people, including women and children. Some of the victims were found hacked to death, DPA reported.
The attack comes two months after a similar incident took place in a nearby village in the same district, leading police to believe it could be retaliation.
Police have beefed up their presence in the area in an effort to restore peace and are investigating the murders.