BBC News World

Gunmen in north-western Nigeria have shot dead several members of the security forces, a day after dozens of local self defence volunteers were killed in the same area.

The deputy governor of Kebbi State, Samaila Yombe Dabai, was in Kanya village at the time of the latest attack on Tuesday.

He confirmed there had been casualties but gave no details.

AFP news agency is reporting that at least 19 members of the security forces were killed, including 13 soldiers.

Due to the frequent attacks by armed gangs across northern Nigeria, some communities have formed self defence or vigilante groups.

On Monday at least 60 of these volunteers were killed by gunmen.

Security forces say they have been bombarding and raiding the forest hideouts of the gunmen.

AFPCopyright: AFP

At Nigeria's busiest airports in Lagos and Abuja, aircraft scheduled to fly on Tuesday were parked for hours waiting for fuel.

Two of Nigeria's biggest airlines, Air Peace and Arik Air, said they had to cancel some domestic flights and delay others as fuel shortages continue in the country, Reuters news agency reports.

Air Peace said it was likely to experience flight disruptions in the coming days.

"Unfortunately, the fuel scarcity is starting to seriously impact our operations," it said.

Arik Air on the other hand delayed nearly all its flights on Tuesday and cancelled others.

Despite being Africa's largest oil producer, Nigeria imports almost all its jet fuel.

Motorists have also been suffering from severe fuel shortages at the pumps for weeks.

Global oil prices have hit a 14-year peak after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.