Suspected armed bandits Tuesday stormed Makosa community in Zurmi local area of Zamfara state killing two health workers supervising a polio vaccination exercise, residents have said.
Witnesses said the suspected bandits, who stormed the community primary health care centre wielding ‘sophisticated’ weapons, shot dead the health personnel after a verbal disagreement between them.
Residents identified the deceased as Lawali Suleiman and Aliyu Muhammad popularly known as (Ali Invitation). One other person sustained injuries and is currently responding to treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
A source, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the bandits robbed the residents, mostly women, who were on a queue waiting with their siblings for the polio vaccination.
The spokesperson for Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara, Ayobami Oni-Orisan, said he would confirm the incident and call back. He is yet to do so in the time of filing this report.
A military internal memo confirming the incident read in part: “Available info revealed that, on 14th January, 2020 about 1430hrs, bandits wielding AK47 rifles attacked a health center at Makosa village under Zurmi district, Zurmi LGA.
“During the onslaught, Aliyu Muhammad and Lawali Suleiman were shot dead while two others sustained varying degrees of gunshot wound.
“ Checks revealed that virtually all the livestock in the village have been mopped up by the brigands who live about a kilometer away, as it is availed that only a waterway separates their den from the affected community.
“Sources disclosed that bandits in Zurmi LGA, particularly those areas bordering the infamous kagara, Gidan Jaja and Kurya axes, have become brazen and harbor with their cattle not distant from the villages.”
