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Armed individuals on motorbikes murdered two dozen people, the majority of them present at a baptism celebration, in an assault on a village in western Niger, reports say.

A villager reported to international press that over a dozen individuals were slain at the event in the western border area, which is adjacent to Mali and Burkina Faso, prior to traveling to a different area and taking the lives of 7 more individuals.

"As people took part in a christening occasion, armed men began shooting, causing death and panic," said a regional civil rights advocate.

The nation's ruling authorities has struggled to contain militant attacks in the region, perpetrated by groups associated with al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Local reporting channels also stated a "horrific casualty count of 22 defenseless people unjustly slain without cause or justification".

National officials have confirmed there was an attack in the region but have not disclosed any victim figures.

Last week, Human Rights Watch stated that extremist groups had stepped up attacks in the country starting from March, arbitrarily murdering more than dozens of locals and Muslim attendees.

Scores of homes have been looted and burned in the identical period, according to the report.

The group faulted officials for not sufficiently answering to warnings of violence and overlooking pleas for support by villagers.

Recently, 14 Nigerien military personnel were slain in an trap in the Tillabéri region, a figure that the army disclosed in its weekly update.

The army reported one of its units was deployed following reports of a cattle theft by assailants, but the mission proved to be "a planned attack".

It is often hard to independently authenticate the actual count of fatalities in these incidents because of security barriers and the fear of backlash among witnesses and local media.

A local spokesperson asked why ordinary people were still being vulnerable to such violence, and urged the government to prioritise the safety and dignity of the people.

"Now is the occasion for real answers, boost official presence in threatened regions, and show that all national existence is important," he posted on social media.

Niger has been governed by military control from last year when Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed the country's elected leader, Mohamed Bazoum.

Niger's adjacent nations Burkina Faso and Mali, fighting the similar extremist insurgency, are also led by juntas but have similarly faced challenges to control the situation.

The three have removed France's and US forces that were previously deeply participating in the battle against jihadists that function across the Sahel.

Besides reducing their ties with the West, they have since formed an partnership to fight the militant threat, seeking Russia and Turkey for their safety needs. Yet, the conflict has continued.