Bandits Kill Scores In Zamfara, Abduct Over 30 Girls

Many locals were killed while over 30 girls were abducted as armed bandits attacked communities in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, over the weekend.

A survivor told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview, 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''.

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.”

According to the BBC Hausa Service, the police in Zamfara confirmed the incident but had no details.