Bandits have killed at least 13 people in three villages in Dansadau Emirate of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State
The killings followed a retaliatory attack that led to the death of a bandits’ kingpin and his men by local vigilantes
A resident of the area, who spoke to Daily Trust on the condition of anonymity, called for urgent measures to address the insecurity
He said the bandits suspected the three villages of conniving with local vigilantes to kill the kingpin and some of his men
“What transpired is that the bandits suspected the three villages of conniving with the local vigilantes, who killed the bandits’ kingpin and his boys,” he said
According to him, “There is a serious enmity between the vigilantes and the bandits, with each group trying to kill the other The bandits banned the communities from farming completely for the last two years,” he said.
The three affected villages are Dandallah, Tudu Gabas and Unguwar Majidadi
The resident said local vigilantes had succeeded in killing a notorious bandit kingpin and some of his lieutenants and made away with their rifles
He further said the bandits subsequently accused the three villages of supporting and empowering the vigilantes to carry out the operation
“The bandits said it was not possible for the boys to kill their colleagues without the support of the elders of the villages
“They killed nine people in Dandallah Village and injured others Two people were killed in Unguwar Sarkin Village and one or two in Tudun Gabas,” he said.
Another resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said about 80 to 90 per cent of the people in the affected villages had fled to Dansadau town
“Eighty to 90 per cent of the people of the three villages fled to Dansadau Women and children were all over, and our people provided them with food and shelter,” he said.
Another resident said the bandits had also attacked Dangurgu village, forcing its residents to abandon the community
Asked about the presence of security forces in the area, the resident said the villages had become a no-go area for security personnel
Another resident of Dansadau, who also pleaded anonymity for security reasons, said bandits had continued to operate freely in the villages and used the routes in the area to terrorise residents of Dansadau and other communities
“Dandallah, Gobirawa and Madada were dominated by the bandits, and the people were just living in the villages because they had no option But the bandits subjected them to slavery for years as there was no presence of security agencies,” he said.
He also confirmed the recovery of the bodies of 10 people killed in Dandallah, Madadah and Gobirawar Kwacha
When contacted, the Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he would make inquiries about the incident and get back to our correspondent
“I will inquire about it and feed you back,” DSP Yazid said, but has not done so as at the time of filing this report