Bandits attacked communities in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State at the weekend, where they killed many locals and abducted no fewer than 30 girls.
A survivor told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview monitored, yesterday, that one of the abducted girls, who managed to escape from captivity returned with only her head scarf.
The terrorists attacked Sakkida and Jambako communities on Saturday afternoon, killing over 20 villagers at Sakkida and injuring others.
According to a villager, who survived the attack, “We woke up peacefully, there was rain and some locals had prepared to go to the farm. Suddenly, there was a report that the terrorists have attacked a neighbouring village, Sakkida.
“The local vigilante, JTF, called the people of Janbako and sought help. Our volunteers and other community members took up arms and headed to the village.
“There is a hill before you reach the village. Not knowing that the terrorists had laid ambush behind the hill, they opened fire on our people. Today in Jambako, 22 people were buried.
“Security operatives were called but they replied that they cannot come immediately because their armoured personnel carrier was not on the ground.
‘’The security operatives tried, they chased the terrorists. When they came back, they came with motorcycles that belonged to the terrorists.
“Many people were injured, some were shot, and others were hit with machetes. In Janbako, there were no security operatives stationed there to provide security”.
Another local told journalists that girls were abducted in Gora village while picking firewood in the bush at Daggera, adding that last week, the terrorists killed three locals and abducted another three.
He said: “Now they’ve abducted our girls, over 30. They sent a message that this year if we want to cultivate our farms in Daggera, we must have a truce with them.
‘’We’ve been doing that with them, we can’t even count the number of times we entered into such an agreement. We don’t know what to do.”
He alleged that security operatives were yet to go on search and rescue of the abducted Zamfara girls. According to the BBC Hausa Service, the police in the state confirmed the incident but had no details.
Governor Dauda Lawal described it as barbaric and unprovoked aggression against innocent people, adding that his administration would not fold its arms and allow criminal elements to unleash terror without repercussions.
“The unfortunate incident came at a time when his government is working hard toward strategizing on how to bring an end to the protracted security problem in the state.
“A directive has been issued to the heads of security agencies in the state to, as a matter of urgency, deploy more security personnel to the affected communities to forestall further destruction of lives and property in the area”, Lawal said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mustapha Jafaru.
Similarly, the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have killed five terrorists that perpetrated the attacks on the communities.
Troops recovered two AK-47 rifles, ammunition, an unconfirmed number of rustled cattle, goats and donkeys.
