Bandits
By Our Reporter
Four days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu asked Service Chiefs to work together in order to strengthen the fight against insecurity, Bandits, weekend, attacked communities in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, where they killed many locals and abducted no fewer than 30 girls.
A survivor told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview monitored, yesterday, that one of the abducted girls, who managed to escape from captivity returned with only her head scarf.
The terrorists attacked Sakkida and Jambako communities on Saturday afternoon, killing over 20 villagers at Sakkida and injuring others.
According to a villager, who survived the attack, “We woke up peacefully, there was rain and some locals had prepared to go to the farm. Suddenly, there was a report that the terrorists have attacked a neighbouring village, Sakkida.
“The local vigilante, JTF, called the people of Janbako and sought for help. Our volunteers and other community members took up arms and headed to the village.
“There is a hill before you reach the village. Not knowing that the terrorists had laid ambush behind the hill, they opened fire on our people. Today in Jambako, 22 people were buried.
“Security operatives were called but they replied that they cannot come immediately because their armoured personnel carrier was not on the ground.
‘’The security operatives tried, they chased the terrorists. When they came back, they came with motorcycles that belonged to the terrorists.
“Many people were injured, some were shot, and others were hit with machetes. In Janbako, there were no security operatives stationed there to provide security.”
Another local told journalists that girls were abducted in Gora village while picking firewood in the bush at Daggera, adding that last week, the terrorists killed three locals and abducted another three.
He said: “Now they’ve abducted our girls, over 30. They sent a message that this year, if we want to cultivate our farms in Daggera, we must have a truce with them.
‘’We’ve been doing that with them, we can’t even count the number of times we entered into such an agreement. We don’t know what to do.”
He alleged that security operatives were yet to go on search and rescue of the abducted Zamfara girls.
According to the BBC Hausa Service, the police in Zamfara confirmed the incident but had no details.
As if that was not enough, the
Police Command in Sokoto State on Sunday also confirmed the death of 30 people during an attack launched by group of armed men in Tangaza Local Government Area of the state.
A statement issued by ASP Ahmad Rufai, the Acting Spokesman of the command, revealed that the gunmen attacked Raka, Bilingawa, Raka Dutse, Jaba, Dabagi and Tsalewa villages of the LGA on Saturday.
According to Rufai, prior to the attack, some members of a vigilante group had gone to Azam village to warn the Fulani community there.
“However, the vigilante members over reacted and ended up beating some villagers who are predominantly Fulani tribe.
“Consequently the villagers called for assistance, and unfortunately the assistance came from armed men suspected to be bandits on board 20 motorcycles.
“On getting the information that assistance is coming the vigilante members withdrew to their various villages,” he said.
The spokesman added that the armed men immediately went after the vigilante members and killed eight people in Raka, seven in Bilingawa, six in Jaba, four in Dabagi, three in Raka Dutse and two in Tsalewa Villages.
He further said that the attackers set two vehicles ablaze and six huts, while one Bajaj motorcycle believed to be that of the armed men was recovered at the scene.
The spokesman also confirmed another attack on Saturday by suspected bandits on some villages in Gwadabawa LGA, eastern part of Sokoto state.
