KAURA NAMODA, ZAMFARA STATE – At least five people have been reportedly killed and scores abducted following a series of devastating bandit attacks across the Kaura Namoda local government area of Zamfara State. Locals report that armed gangs raided a staggering 16 villages between Saturday and Sunday, unleashing terror and leaving a trail of death and despair.
A private conflict monitoring report, created for the United Nations and seen by AFP, revealed that more than 50 people were kidnapped in a mass abduction during the weekend’s violence. The report highlighted an attack on the village of Sabon Garin Damri on Friday, noting that residents in the rural hinterlands of the region have long suffered from criminal gangs who kidnap for ransom, loot villages, and demand taxes.
Providing a grim account, a local resident, who pleaded anonymity for safety reasons, detailed the weekend’s wave of terror. On Saturday, armed bandits invaded eight villages: Dan İsa, Kyatawa, Tudu, Gidan Haruna, Tsunburburawa, Gidan Juli, Tokarawa, and Gidan Bako. During these coordinated attacks, one person was reportedly killed in Gidan Haruna, and eight women were abducted.
The onslaught continued into Sunday, with a deadly assault on Kwalau village. Four individuals – identified as Abubakar, Murtala, Aminu, and Bello – were killed in the attack. Another resident, Ashafa, sustained severe gun wounds to his chest and jaw and has been rushed to Kaura Namoda General Hospital for urgent treatment.
The local explained that Kwalau village had unfortunately become a regular passage for the bandits during their operations. A confrontation reportedly ensued when local vigilante operatives denied the retreating gunmen access through the village on their return from Saturday’s raids, leading to the brutal reprisal that claimed four lives on Sunday.
