Bandits kill 10, abduct 33 women in Zamfara communities

Bandits have plundered seven communities in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing 10 persons, and abducting 33 women.

The villagers were said to have fled their communities to Gusau town for safety as robbers pillaged the areas unchallenged.

An indigene, Malam Shehu Kura, who escaped to Gusau’s Damba district, told newsmen that on Sunday robbers on motorbikes went from village to village stealing from businesses and residences.

According to him, the hoodlums operated in the seven communities for many hours without the intervention of security agents.

“They were in the area for many hours; they searched from house to house, looking for food items and other valuables,” he said.

The witness said the bandits abducted 33 women and carried away a lot of food items.

“They abducted 10 women from Kura village, nine from Bayawuri, seven from Gana and another seven from Doma,” he added.

The resident also said 10 people were shot dead by the bandits when they tried to escape, while several others sustained injuries.

Kura explained that the people of the seven affected villages fled to Gusau town, adding that most of the victims were squatting in unfavourable conditions due to lack of accommodation.

He said, “Most of us sleep outside or in open places despite the harsh condition of the harmattan because we have no other alternative.”

He appealed to the authorities to come to their aid, lamenting that most of the victims were women and children.

The state Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Dosara, could not be reached for comments on the incident.

The commissioner, however, told the BBC Hausa Service that he was only aware of the attack on Geba village, adding that security agents had been drafted to the village.