As troops killed nine bandits, rescued two victims in Zamfara, bandits have killed Ade Marafa, elder sister of the senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabir Marafa, and abducted her husband.
An aide to the senator, Abubakar Tsafe, who confirmed the development, said the bandits struck at the residence of the senator’s sister located in the Ruwan Bore area of Gusau Local Government Area, yesterday.
The aide said the bandits, numbering about 100, set the village ablaze after raiding it.
“More than half of Ruwan Bore village has been burnt by the bandits. The villagers are now seeking refuge at Mada, a neighbouring community,” he said in a statement.
Tsafe said at the time of issuing the statement, the senator’s in-law had not been found.
The senator has, on many occasions, expressed concern about the high level of insecurity in the state.
In November, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a military crackdown on the bandits but the killings have continued unabated.
Due to the overwhelming activities of the bandits, Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari, said he was no longer the chief security officer of the state because he had no control over security machinery.
“As chief security officer, the nomenclature is just a name,” Yari had said.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in September, the governor said no fewer than 2,300 persons have died from 2011 as a result of insecurity in the state.
Meanwhile, troops of Operation Sharan Daji have killed nine bandits and rescued two victims in the state.
The acting force information officer of Operation Sharan Daji, Major Clement Abiade, confirmed the incident on Monday.
He explained that the bandits were killed during a clearance operation at Sunke Forest in Shinkafi and Birnin Magaji LGAs of the state.
According to Abiade, the bandits were forced to abandon their camps and they escaped with gunshot wounds due to superior firepower from the troops.
He added that five suspected bandits were apprehended, while their camps were set ablaze and the kidnap victims were rescued.
He added that several rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle, large quantities of illicit drugs, 45 gallons of petrol, a tanker and a water pump were recovered from the bandits.