Bandits kill two, injure five others in Zamfara
At least 15 persons have been killed and many married women abducted in separate attacks on three communities by suspected terrorists in Kankara Local Council of Katsina State.
The incidents, sources, said occurred on Saturday evening and lasted into the early hours of Sunday at Unguwan Maikawo, Gatakawa and Unguwan Topa communities.
Similarly, bandits have again unleashed terror on Tsafe town, the headquarters of Tsafe Local Council of Zamfara State, killing two locals while five were said to have sustained injuries.
At Unguwan Maikawo, the terrorists killed five persons, including four children who were playing football, as well as the son of a popular Islamic preacher. They also injured several people during the attack in the area.
The marauding terrorists in Katsina also killed five other persons and abducted married women, some of whom were said to be nursing mothers, at Gatakawa village.
In addition, they reportedly injured at least four persons trying to escape the attack. At Unguwan Topa, the terrorists killed one person and injured six others, with sources saying the marauders also carted away household items, including grains and clothing.
Some of the residents, who spoke to newsmen, lamented that their communities had become soft targets for terrorists in recent times. One of them, who asked not to be named, said residents had to relocate from the three communities, especially to the headquarters of the council area, due to the incessant attacks.
He called on the government to deploy additional security operatives to the area, as many residents were apprehensive at nightfall.
Information Officer for the Local Council, Abdulkarim Sani, said many people were killed during the attack, including five persons at Gatakawa village. But the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasiru Danmusa, said only two communities, Gatakawa and Unguwan Maikawo, were attacked. He said security operatives were always after the terrorists, who had begun to change their mode of operation from kidnapping for ransom to attacking villages.
A TSAFE resident, Usman Tsafe, told newsmen in Gusau, that the terrorists struck about 11.21 am on Sunday with sophisticated weapons and started shooting sporadically.
According to him, the bandits were on a reprisal against the state’s Community Protection Guards (CPD) operatives over the killing of some of their members last week.
“They came in large numbers on many motorcycles and started shooting at people. That is how the ravaging bandits killed two persons and five of our people sustained gunshot injuries. They are receiving medical attention at Tsafe General Hospital,” he added. He appealed to the federal and state governments to deploy more troops to the area to mitigate the activities of the bandits.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Yazid Abubakar, said the command was waiting for details from the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) of Tsafe.
“We are waiting to hear from the DPO in charge of Police Divisional Headquarters. I will feed you back with the necessary information later,” he said.