Bandits kill 39 in Zamfara reprisals

No fewer than 39 people have been killed by bandits in a reprisal attack on Faru District of Maradun local government area of Zamfara state.

In a telephone conversation with Blueprint, a resident of Faru, Malam Lawali Ahmad Faru, said the bandits had raided the town at around 4:30 pm on Thursday and began shooting sporadically on the people, killing 39 people who were mainly men.

He said further that the bandits had trailed farmers who were busy working in their farms and opened fire on them during the invasion.

According to him, the bandits were said to be on a reprisal mission following the arrest and killing of two of their members that were arrested with two AK-47 rifles by vigilantes known as Yansakai along Mafara- Faru road on Wednesday.

“As I am talking to you now, 39 bodies of our people killed by the bandits are kept at Faru Primary Health Care Centre in the presence of troops attached to the area and other sister security personnel for burial according to Islamic right this morning and our people went to the bush searching for those who had been attacked by the bandits while working in their various farms,” he said.

When contacted, the state police Command Public Relations Officer, Sp. Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the incident, saying only 35 people lost their lives as a result of the attack.

“Already, a joint task force comprising the military, police, and the NSCDC had been deployed to the area and normalcy has been restored right away,” he said.