The gunmen also set ablaze an armoured personnel carrier belonging to the Nigerian military.

It was learnt that on arrival at the village on motorcycles, the gunmen started shooting indiscriminately, resulting in the death of the victims.

Deadly attacks have raged across Zamfara State where bandits have thrived.

Farming and herding communities in the state have long been terrorised by gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle and kidnapping residents for ransom.

In 2019, the state government entered a peace agreement with the gunmen.

About 15 brand new Hilux vehicles and cash gifts were also given to leaders of different 'repentant' gangs of bandits by the governor in 2020.

But despite all these, communities in the state are still being attacked and residents kidnapped and/or killed.

The president said Igbo people are relevant people in the country, adding that they have successful businesses across different locations in Nigeria.

He further claimed the people of the region are the ones in charge of the country's economy.

He spoke at a town hall meeting with South-East leaders during his one-day official visit to Owerri, the Imo State capital.

A statement quoted the president as saying that with less than two years left in his eight-year tenure as President, security remains a major priority for his administration.

Acknowledging the resourcefulness and enterprising spirit of the Igbo people, the President said, “The fundamental thing about the Igbo people is that there is no town you will visit in Nigeria without seeing the Igbos being in charge of either infrastructure or pharmaceutical industry.

“Therefore, it is unthinkable for me that any Igbo man would consider himself not to be a part of Nigeria.

“The evidence is there for everyone to see that Igbos are in charge of Nigeria’s economy.”

His comment comes amid the constant agitations in the region by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra seeking a separate Biafran nation.

Buhari further noted that no country can make any meaningful progress without the development of infrastructure, the President expressed regret that successive governments at the Federal level contributed to the decay of critical infrastructure in the country.

He promised that the Federal Government would complete ongoing key projects in the South East, including the 2nd Niger Bridge as well as the railway lines and routes linking the region with other parts of the country.

“I firmly believe that when you get infrastructure right, Nigerians will mind their own businesses,” he said, adding that as a group, the Igbos stand to benefit more from the ongoing development of infrastructure in the country because “they are more enterprising.”

Buhari had earlier commissioned four projects executed by Governor Hope Uzodinma, including the Naze/Ihiagwa/Nekede/Obinze link road, the Balloon Driven/Flood Control drainage at Dick Tiger Road, the Egbeada Bypass road and the New Exco-Chambers, Government House, Owerri.