New Telegraph

Bandits kill eight, burn houses in Zamfara communities

Gunmen invaded Dutsin Gari and Rayau communities in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State and killed eight people. The armed men, said to be about 100, also burnt many houses. A resident of one of the attacked villages, who did not want his name mentioned for security reasons, said the bandits first invaded Dutsin Gari village about 11pm of last Monday and stayed there till 3am with the intention of abducting some community members. However, according to him, the villagers came out en masse and determined to die rather than watch their brothers and sisters be abducted for ransom. He said: “The bandits instantly opened fire and killed six villagers.

But members of the community replied by using all sorts of local weapons in defense of their people and the entire village. “When the bandits realised that their mission could not be accomplished, they decided to move to the neighbouring village called Rayau where they also encountered resistance. We heard their shouts as they fled on their motorcycles.” The man said the bandits killed two other innocent people at Rayau village.

He further disclosed the bandits returned to the two villages yesterday morning but the villages were deserted. The villagers, he said, fled the communities because of the fear of further attacks.

This, according to him, angered the gunmen who set many houses at Dutsin Gari ablaze. A couple of months ago, bandits invaded Dutsin Gari village where they abducted over 40 worshippers while observing their Friday prayers. At least, 18 of the victy were still in the custody of bandits. A member of the state House of Assembly representing Maru North, Hon Yusuf Alasan Kanoma, said he was informed by the villagers during the attack. He said: “I did not hesitate to call the security chiefs in the state to notify them.”

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