From Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
FRESH attacks by bandits in Kabasa village, Magami district of Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, have led to the death of about eight people and 11 bandits.
A source said the bandits arrived the village on motorcycles in their dozens around 4.30pm on Tuesday and shot sporadically at anything on sight. But the villagers engaged the bandits in a fierce fire for fire which lasted more than three hours before troops stationed at Magami arrived.
The source said the attack could be linked to an earlier killing of many bandits who attempted to invade the village some weeks back.
The source added that three soldiers and five villagers lost their lives during the battle.
“It is pathetic because I think one of the soldiers killed was a Major,” he said.
Another source said he saw the bandits conveying more than 11 of their members killed during the encounter.
“I was returning from my farm when I started hearing gun shots. From where I was hiding, I could hear the sounds of the gun fires between the military and the bandits and suddenly after about two hours, I started seeing the bandits returning from the village having being overpowered by military fire power. I saw 11 dead bodies being ferried away by the bandits on motorcycles,” he said.
In a reaction, the Zamfara State government, in a statement by Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, said it had directed security agencies to carry out a full investigation into the incident and report back for action.
Meanwhile, Kaduna State government, yesterday, said the official vehicle of the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Zubairu Jibril Maigwari was on Monday shot at by bandits around the Zonkoro axis of Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
This was even as two persons were killed by bandits in Kauru and Igabi local government areas of the state.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement said no life was lost in the attack. He said the Emir’s driver, Umar Jibrin, and an orderly, Inspector Sani Yahaya, were the only persons in the vehicle and were on their way to Kaduna when the attack took place. The Emir was in Kaduna.
Aruwan, however, said in another incident, armed robbers barricaded a bridge leading to Kitansa village, Kauru LGA and shot dead one Danladi Goriye, while another, Sunday Garba sustained gunshot wounds.
“Similarly, armed bandits barricaded the Buruku-Mando road, Igabi LGA and opened fire on vehicles plying the road. One Abdullahi Baballe, a resident of Lema area in Mando, was killed. On Tuesday March 16, 2021, in Kiffin Chawai District, Kauru Local Government Area, troops of Operation Safe Haven rescued two travellers, Ismail Haruna and Isa Mohammed, who had been attacked by a mob of youths in the area.
“The two persons were on their way from Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State to Marwa village, in Bakin Kogi, Kauru LGA, when they were intercepted by the youths who attempted to lynch them. The timely intervention of the troops prevented this, and the two travellers were duly rescued.
“In another incident, troops of Operation Safe Haven apprehended a suspected bandit informant, Muhammad Sani Abubakar, at Apyimbuu village, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area. The suspect has been handed over to the police for further investigation,” he said.
Aruwan said troops of Operation Thunder Strike also neutralised two bandits during a raid at a suspected bandit camp called Rafin Rikamba in Chikun LGA. Other bandits are suspected to have escaped with Gunshot wounds. He said a kidnapped truck driver escaped from the bandits during the raid.