According to the broadcaster, the incident took place on Monday when people were returning from a weekly fair in the town of Bani Bangou near the border with Mali.

Groups of militants stopped cars and shot dead the citizens in them before setting the cars on fire.

Niger is part of the larger Sahel region in West Africa, which is a frequent target of militant attacks. In 2014, France launched the 5,000-strong Operation Barkhane to curb the terrorist threat in the region. In addition to the French forces, the operation involves the troops of the G5-Sahel member states — Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania.