Zamfara state witnessed another wave of bandits on Friday, as armed men attacked four villages in Maru local government area, killing one person and abducting 150 others, mostly women and children. The attack came barely a week after 17 people were kidnapped in Ruwan Dorawa village of the same local government.
According to Daily Trust, the armed men raided the villages of Mutunji, Kwanar-Dutse, Sabon-Garin Mahuta and Unguwar Kawo around 9pm on Friday, and carried out their operation for hours. A resident of Mutunji, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bandits fired gunshots into the air to scare the villagers and then captured the weak ones who could not escape.
He said he tried to call for help from a friend in Kwanar-Dutse, but he was told that they were also under attack. “Ibrahim told me that as at the time I was speaking with him, he was in the bush together with some people after escaping,” he said.
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Another resident said the bandits might have been from the same gang, but split into four groups to attack each village. He said the bandits regrouped after the attacks and dragged the abductees into the bush.
He lamented that the bandits were operating with impunity, as they faced no resistance from the security personnel. He said the residents felt abandoned and helpless, as they did not receive any assistance from the security or the traditional rulers whenever the bandits struck.
He said the villagers sometimes had prior information about the impending attacks, but nothing was done to prevent them. “The issue is that even if you inform the security or the traditional rulers nothing is being done to prevent such attack. Sometimes, we get to know about the coming of the bandits but even if we inform the concerned authorities, that will not make any positive impact,” he said.