GUSAU, Nigeria - A total of 18 people were killed late Tuesday in an attack on Kaboro community in the Dansadau Emirate of Northwest Nigeria's Zamfara State, officials said Wednesday morning.

Spokesperson of Zamfara state governor Malam Nuhu Anka confirmed the bloody attack to reporters, saying fully-armed gunmen numbering about 20 stormed the community and shot sporadically, killing the village head identified as Alhaji Maiyara and 17 other victims.

"According to our findings, the village head came out of his abode to plead with the gunmen who started shooting indiscriminately when they killed him," he said.

Zamfara state acting governor Sanusi Rikiji along with the commissioner of police in the state had visited the community to commiserate with the villagers, he said, adding that the governor had directed the state emergency management agency to supply relief materials to families of the victims.

A survivor of the attack, Malam Sani Abdullahi, told reporters that the gunmen unleashed terror by firing from different angles of the village and killed whoever attempted to escape.

"I heard gunshots from far away and sensed that a disaster was befalling the community," he said, while explaining how the attack started.

The survivor vowed never to return to the village, saying he escaped from the attack through a bush path.

According to him, the bandits were believed by the villagers to be responsible for the killing of over 20 people at Dogon Dawa village in Birnin Gwari area of north-central Nigeria's Kaduna State about a fortnight ago.

Nineteen people were killed in a similar night attack by gunmen who unleashed terror at Lingyado village located in Dansadau area of Zamafara State, about a year ago.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the terror recorded in the northern state, although waves of attack have plagued the northern and central parts of Nigeria in recent times.