At least 30 residents have been abducted following a fresh attack by bandits on Zamfarawa village, in the Zugu district of Bukkuyum local government area, Zamfara state.
According to a counter-insurgency publication, Zagazola Makama, the attackers stormed the community around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday, shooting indiscriminately to disperse residents before abducting 30 people and fleeing to an unknown destination.
This latest incident adds to the wave of insecurity sweeping across Zamfara, where armed gangs continue to terrorise rural communities. Earlier this month, suspected gunmen kidnapped two councillors and an Imam in the Tsauni community under Gusau LGA.
Police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar confirmed that the councillors representing Gidan-Gona and Tsibiri wards in Maradun LGA were seized alongside the Imam on Wednesday night, moments after evening prayers.
In a similar attack in September, bandits killed at least five worshippers and abducted several others during prayers in Ƴandoto community, Tsafe LGA. The killings triggered widespread panic and emotional scenes as residents gathered for the victims’ funeral prayers.
The escalating violence has displaced thousands of residents and disrupted local economies, deepening poverty and food insecurity. Security experts say the state’s vast forest reserves and weak local intelligence systems have allowed criminal gangs to thrive, using remote areas as operational bases.
