Gunmen kill 12 in Taraba, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna

Gunmen have killed twelve persons in Taraba, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna states.

In Taraba State, seven travellers including a driver were killed in the early hours of Monday along Takum-Wukari Road.

A source in Takum told Daily Trust that the passengers, all from Takum town, were travelling from the area to Wukari when they were attacked by gunmen between Chanchangi town in Takum Local Government Area and Saai village in Benue State.

He said the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle conveying the passengers and killed all seven of them, including the driver identified as Kabiru, on the spot.

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He said the gunmen did not remove anything from the vehicle, adding that they were suspected to be part of terrorists operating from a forest in Benue State.

Daily Trust reports that it was the same road where gunmen killed the chief of Chanchangi chiefdom and his son in July.

It was learnt that the road has become a death trap because of the activities of terrorists who attack, kidnap and rob travellers both during the day and night time.

When contacted yesterday, the police in Taraba State said a lecturer at Federal University Wukari and Deputy Registrar of Taraba State School of Health Technology, Takum were among the passengers killed by the gunmen.

The acting Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba Police Command, DSP Kwache Gambo, told Daily Trust in a phone interview.

She however said six people, including a driver, were killed at a boundary area between Taraba and Benue states along Takum-Wukari Road.

Daily Trust also gathered that a secondary school principal, who was transferred from Takum to Wukari LGA and was on his way to his new school, was among those killed. A source from Takum town, who preferred anonymity, said there was tension in his place following the killing of travellers who were all indigenes of the town.

The source said soldiers had, however, been deployed to patrol key areas in the town and along some roads in the area to calm the situation.

Bandits on Monday killed two drivers and abducted scores of passengers in two separate attacks in Magazu village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The bandits first attacked four moving vehicles around 5:15pm, killing a truck driver and abducting scores of passengers.

They returned to the same spot around 6:30pm and attacked a commercial Volkswagen Gulf and abducted passengers on board.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that during the first attack, the bandits blocked the busy highway, opened fire at four moving vehicles and their drivers lost control and ran into the bush.

Daily Trust gathered that banditry attacks have returned along Funtua-Gusau Road in the recent days, according to some residents in Magazu and Tsafe.

When contacted, the Zamfara State Police Commissioner, CP Muhammad Shehu Dalijan confirmed only the attack on the truck driver, saying “I only heard about the attack on the truck driver. For the other attacks, I don’t have any information for now.”

Also, at least two farmers have lost their lives while unspecified number of others sustained bullet injuries during bandits’ attack in many communities in Mariga and Mashegu LGAs of Niger State.

The injured people including women and children were currently receiving treatment at the Kontagora General Hospital. The communities attacked include Durgu, Bobi, Kurigi, Wamba, Mongoro, Igwama, Kasuwan-Garba in Mariga LGA as well as Uro in Mashegu LGA among others.

Residents told Daily Trust that the attacks started around 5pm on Sunday during which bandits also rustled large number of cattle belonging to them.

Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Brigadier General Bello Abdullahi Mohammed did not respond to a message sent to his phone on the attack.

When also contacted, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun said he would revert with details but was yet to do as at the time of reporting the incident.

Gunmen have equally attacked Kwassam in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing one Doctor Ishaya and abducting about eight others.

Confirming the incident to our reporter during a telephone interview, the member representing Kauru Federal Constituency, Hon. Zakari Ahmad Chawai said Kwassam and Dawaki wards in Kauru LGA witnessed incessant attacks.

“Four days ago, the bandits attack a community in Dawaki ward, where they abducted some residents and yesterday they also stormed Kwassam community,” he said.

He said the kidnappers killed one person, abducted eight and went away with an uncertain amount of people’s property.

From Magaji I. Hunkuyi (Jalingo), Yusha’u A. Ibrahim (Gusau), Abubakar Akote (Minna) & Ahmed Ali (Kafanchan)