Bandits Kill 2, Kidnap 4 In Zamfara Attack

Two people has been killed in an attack on Maru town, the headquarters of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State by bandits while four others were kidnapoed including a lecturer of the College of Education Maru, Dr. Nasiru Anka.

An indigene of the area, Mohammed Bawa, informed Osun Defender that the bandits attacked Maru town last Saturday night, killed two people and abducted four others.

Bawa lamented that last Saturday’s attack on Maru town was the fourth of its kind in one month.

He called on the appropriate authorities to take serious measures before the situation went out of control.

Bawa said, “The bandits, as usual, came into the town with heavy firearms and started shooting sporadically then later moved from house to house where they abducted four people.

“They also opened fire on others who wanted to escape the abduction. And in the process, they killed two people and injured several others.”

“You see, these bandits have been attacking the town despite the fact that it is a local government headquarters and very close to the Gusau-Sokoto Road.

“The last Saturday’s attack was the fourth of its kind in just one month.

“If you could remember, they were here last week in an attempt to abduct our Emir Alhaji Abubakar Gado Maigari.

When they could not succeed, they gunned down one of the palace guards and also kidnapped five people.

“Our market has been closed by the government due to persistent bandits’ attacks.

“We are calling on the appropriate authorities to please come to our aid before we flee to Gusau town for safety,” he said.

Efforts to get comments from the spokesperson for the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, failed as he did not pick up phone calls.

Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Task Force North-West Operation Hadarin Daji operating in Zamfara State have killed scores of bandits who attempted to attack Karazau village in the Bungudu Local Government Area of the state.

A competent source close to the military informed our correspondent that the troops of the OPHD received and timely responded to a distress call about the large number of armed terrorists attacking Karazau village last Saturday.

According to the source, on approaching the village, the troops were ambushed by armed terrorists.

The source said, “However, the combat-ready troops who were resilient, with tactical abilities and reinforcement, cleared the ambush and forced the bandits to retreat while several of them met their Waterloo.

“Subsequently, the troops are dominating the general area with aggressive and confidence-building patrols to deny the terrorists any opportunity to strike.”