Nigerian Bandits Rampage Across Nation, Encamp Near Capital

Targets include trains, planes, and sleeping villages

A resident inspects a burnt house in the village of Kizara, in northern Nigerian Zamfara state, on June 18, 2013 after a group of bandits attacked the village, killing 48 people in a pre-dawn raid in apparent reprisals targeting a local vigilante group. The attack saw gunmen move house to house as well as take positions atop a hill and open fire, the official said. Houses were also burnt, but it was not clear how many. AFP PHOTO/STRINGER Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images

In a brazen show of power, a large band of motorbike-riding bandit terrorists has encamped in five communities outside Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and may aim to exploit national elections, a defense expert told The Epoch Times.

A whirl of nine bloody bandit attacks in three of Nigeria’s northern states has claimed more than 160 lives since March 20. Tens of thousands of panicked residents have packed their belongings on their backs and trekked into refugee camps, according to eyewitnesses and media accounts.