By Sanusi Muhammad
Gusau
No fewer than 12 persons have been reported killed by suspected gang of kidnappers in different communities of Maru, Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafara local government councils of Zamfara state at the weekend.
An eyewitness, Malam Ibrahim Isah, told Blueprint that the suspected kidnappers besieged Kuka Mairahu village in Maru local government and killed three persons, one in Maru, one in Kadauri village, and five in Guza village respectively.
He said, in Kadauri, the bandits kidnapped three persons, including the wife of Vice Chairman of the all Progressives Congress (APC), Maru ward, Alhaji Sani Gere and carted away the sum of N3.9 million belonging to him.
According to Malam Ibrahim, the bandits demanded the sum of N4 million as ransom before releasing his wife in which the sum of over N1.2 million was given to them to secure her release.
‘So far, the kidnappers had collected over N1 million before they released the wife of Alhaji Sani Gere,” Ibrahim said.
Presenting relief items and cash to the five families of Guza village in Talata Mafara local government council who lost five persons to the kidnappers, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Sanusi Garba Rikiji, described the act as barbaric and callous.
He said government would not condone any form of criminal conspiracy in the state and assured the communities of government’s determination to ensure the culprits are brought to book.
Meanwhile, suspected kidnappers yesterday stormed some villages in Kaura Namoda local government and killed two persons, kidnapped eight and made away with a number of cattle.
The villages affected are; Kyasgyara, Walo, Dokau, Disko and Dagwarwa, respectively.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Zamfara state police command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the incident, stressing that only three persons have been killed in Guza village, saying the command had deployed one unit of anti cattle rustling squad to the affected areas to restore normalcy.
