At least 23 Nigerian troops were killed when they were ambushed by a gang of "bandits" in a remote village in the northwest of the country, security sources said Sunday.

The gang opened fire Saturday on the soldiers who were on foot in a forested part of the Jibia district in Katsina state, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The bodies of 23 soldiers have been accounted for while some are still missing," the sources said.