ABUJA - Up to 47 people were killed in organized attacks on villages in the northwestern Nigerian state of Katsina on Saturday, local police said Sunday.

A group of gunmen attacked the villages of Danmusa, Dutsenma and Safana

A group of gunmen attacked the villages of Danmusa, Dutsenma and Safana early Saturday and detachments of police, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Airforce and Civil Defence and Department of State Services have been deployed to the area, Katsina police said in a statement.

Also on Sunday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, whose state of origin is Katsina, issued a statement pledging to punish the criminals who kill innocent people.

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"In line with my commitment to security of the people, these attacks will be met with decisive force," he said in his statement.

Earlier in the day, Nigerian defense spokesman John Enenche said damage was recorded on the side of the gunmen who terrorized local villages in Katsina on Saturday while military forces carried out multiple operations on the same day, killing scores of Boko Haram militants across the northern part of Nigeria.