Bandits have abducted no fewer than 150 people in a slew of raids on several communities in Zamfara State over the past four days.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Government, Mahmud Mohammed Ɗantawasa, confirmed the attacks to newsmen, neither confirmed nor denied the number of people kidnapped, but noted that the Government is making efforts to rescue the victims.
This comes as a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Musa Yusuf Asadus-Sunna, confirmed how his Peace Committee facilitated a peace agreement between notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, and the federal government. This, he said, led to the release of 32 abductees and the surrender of a cache of arms.
Residents of the affected communities stated that the heavily armed bandits carried out attacks over four days in villages including Sabon-Garin Damri and Dakko Butsa (which borders Sokoto), as well as Tungar Abdu-Dogo, Tungar Sarkin-Daji, Sadeda and Tungar Labi. The bandits often strike at night, or during rainfall, taking advantage of when people are asleep.
Kidnapping for ransom has become rife in north-western Nigeria in recent years, whereby armed gangs, often referred to locally as bandits, have targeted villages, schools, and travellers, demanding millions of naira in ransom and making it unsafe to travel by road or to farm in some areas.
The Zamfara Police Command spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment on the attack as of filing this report.
