Bandits kill 3, abduct 24 in Zamfara

No fewer than three people have been reportedly killed and 24 others abducted in banditry attacks on four communities in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The bandits were said to be foot soldiers of the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Truji. They attacked Shinkafi town, Jangeru, Shanawa and Birnin Yero villages on Thursday.

It was learnt that three people were killed and nine others, including four women, were kidnapped in Shinkafi town during an operation that lasted a few minutes.

The bandits also attacked a mosque in Birnin-Yero village, abducting eight people and injuring several others.

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“The bandits stormed the village while the occupants were about to finish the 8pm prayer. They fired several gunshots into the air, thereby scaring the worshippers to run for their lives.

“The bandits succeeded in kidnapping eight people and several others who ran into the bush sustained varying degrees of injury. We are lucky no one lost his life during the encounter.”

Also, in Shanawa village, the bandits abducted four people, while in Jangeru, a woman was abducted but she was later abandoned in the bush, a few kilometers away from the village.

A resident said, “After abducting the woman, the bandits realized she could not endure trekking to their destination, hence they hit her head with a stick and she fainted.

“They abandoned her in the bush. The woman recovered around 3am and returned to the village in the morning. We were terrified by the attack because the terrorists came with guns and fired several shots indiscriminately.”

The attack on Shanawa village was coming just a day after 12 residents of the community were released after alleged payment of N12m ransom.

Our correspondent further learnt that the bandits had issued a warning to two other villages in the local government: Kwari and Kurya to either vacate their homes within three days or be sacked.

However, a resident of Kurya village, who preferred not to be mentioned, said, “We have made our minds not to leave our homes. This time around we will not comply with the bandits’ directive. We are tired of this kind of threat. We have resolved not to go anywhere.

“They have collected millions of naira from us in the name of levies and ransom and now they want to chase us from our villages. This is unacceptable, we will not go anywhere. We are only calling on the government to provide us with security personnel so that together we will face the bandits whenever they come.”