To say they left their "homes" is a misnomer.
They left an open unwalled shack in a savannah.
They left an open unwalled shack in a savannah.
A local leader in northern Nigeria's restive Katsina state says bandits have killed at least 300 men in his district in the past year, and it continues with at least one person killed in such an attack "every day".
Alhaji Tukur Mu'azu Ruma told the BBC "about 600 women have lost their husbands, and around 2,000 children have been made fatherless" in Batsari. Polygamous marriages are customary there.
Mr Mu'azu said about a third of the district's population have fled their homes as a result of the violence and now live in other parts of Nigeria.
"Our husband was killed when he was running for his life during an attack last week," one widow told the BBC.
He left behind a family of three wives and 14 children, who are struggling to feed themselves.
Aside from the loss of life and the destruction of property, farming and commercial activities have ground to a halt, according to District Head Mr Mu'azu, and government assistance is desperately needed.
"Last year, 40% of the farmers could not till their land because those who ventured out to their farms ended up getting kidnapped," he said.
Nigerian authorities have vowed to improve security in the country's north but conditions in Katsina state, where residents have protested in the past, have left many despairing.
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