At least 9 killed, many abducted in ‘bandit’ gang attack in Nigeria

Many women and children were reportedly abducted successful the deadly onslaught successful northwestern Zamfara State.

At slightest 9 radical person been reported killed and galore abducted pursuing an onslaught successful Nigeria’s northwest, residents and section officials said, amid expanding unit against farmers by what person been described arsenic “bandit” gangs.

The deadly onslaught connected Friday took spot successful Zamfara state, the epicentre of attacks by heavy equipped men known locally arsenic bandits who person been wreaking havoc crossed Nigeria’s northwest successful caller years, kidnapping thousands, sidesplitting hundreds and making it unsafe to question by road.

Hamisu Faru, a section lawmaker, confirmed the onslaught to the Reuters quality agency, saying the assailants took “no less than 100 people, including women and children”.

“As I’m speaking to you close now, they are searching house-to-house, abducting people,” Faru said by phone.

Yahaya Yari Abubakar, governmental head of Talata Mafara district, wherever the onslaught was carried out, told the AFP quality bureau that 9 radical were killed successful full and astatine slightest 15 section radical were abducted.

Abu Zaki, a nonmigratory of the district’s Jangebe village, said the victims included the caput of the village’s vigilante self-defence radical and his 5 colleagues, on with 3 residents.

“Everybody is present acrophobic of going to the workplace for fearfulness of being attacked,” said different resident, Bello Ahmadu, who corroborated the reported decease toll.

Jangebe colony was the country successful 2021 of the mass abduction of astir 300 pistillate students from a boarding school. The girls were freed days aboriginal aft authorities made a ransom payment.

Another nonmigratory successful the area, Mohammed Usman, told Reuters that the attackers laid siege to the municipality for astir 2 hours earlier taking their captives. Thousands of residents person present fled the village, helium said.

Zamfara constabulary did not instantly respond to requests for comments.

Nigeria’s bandits support camps successful a immense wood straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, successful unrest that has evolved from clashes betwixt herders and farmers implicit onshore and resources into a broader struggle fuelled by arms trafficking.

Zamfara’s authorities authorities has recruited vigilantes and equipped militias to assistance the subject successful warring the bandits.

Last month, vigilantes, with the assistance of Nigeria’s concealed police, killed astir 100 radical erstwhile they raided the enclave of a pack kingpin successful the state’s Shinkafi district, according to officials.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies