Officials instead say the attackers arrived in large numbers on motorcycles and raided three villages, leaving at least 32 people dead, during the incident on Sunday in the southern part of the state.

The attackers also razed several houses, the Kaduna state government said in a statement on Thursday.

The commissioner for internal security, Samuel Aruwan, said the helicopter in question was an air force helicopter dispatched to the area, that was used to intercept and engage the bandits in a gun battle before the arrival of ground troops to secure the general area.

Several kidnapped victims, including an expatriate kidnapped at a mining site, were also said to be rescued.

Mr Aruwan added that security forces were on the trail of a wounded notable suspect.

The attack in Kaduna on Sunday occurred same day that gunmen attacked a church in south-west Nigeria and killed at least 40 worshippers.