Teenage Girl Forced Into Marriage To Bandits, Rescued By Vigilante Operatives In Zamfara

The vigilante operatives in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State rescued a teenage girl, Zainab, from a forced marriage attempt by suspected bandits in Gangara Yamma village.

Eyewitnesses reported that the bandits, riding on three motorcycles, stormed the home of Zainab’s father, Ali Yarbugai Gangara Mai Inji, and demanded her hand in marriage.

They threatened to kill her father if he refused, a counterinsurgency source, Zagazola Makama reported.

Despite the threats, Ali resisted, and the attackers physically assaulted him in an attempt to force compliance They eventually left him injured but alive.

Community members quickly alerted local vigilante groups, who launched a swift operation to track the fleeing bandits.

“They intercepted the attackers at a hideout, opening fire and neutralizing one of the suspects, who was reportedly the leader and intended husband. The remaining two bandits fled, abandoning their motorcycles,” said the source.

The vigilante operatives returned the motorcycles to Tsafe, where the incident was reported to the authorities. Zainab’s father, Ali, expressed his gratitude for the swift action of the vigilantes, stating, “If not for their intervention, we would have been in mourning by now.”