Bandits have killed five villagers and abducted over 100 people in separate attacks across Zamfara and Katsina states, intensifying insecurity in the region.
According to reports, the gunmen launched fresh assaults on several communities, leaving residents in fear and distress. The attacks come just days after bandits killed four people and kidnapped several others, including a serving local government vice chairman in Bukkuyyum and Gusau Local Government Areas of Zamfara State.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the assailants, armed with sophisticated weapons, invaded the villages in the dead of night, shooting indiscriminately and taking hostages. The bandits reportedly targeted vulnerable areas with little or no security presence.
Efforts to confirm the incident from the Zamfara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yazeed Abdullahi, was unavailable for comments at the time of filing this report.
Residents are calling on the federal and state governments to take urgent action to curb the rising wave of banditry and provide adequate security in the affected areas.
The latest attacks have heightened fears among locals, many of whom have already been displaced due to ongoing violence in the region.