Bandits killed at least three people and abducted a minimum of 64 others, including women and children, in two separate attacks in Zamfara State on Saturday.
The main attack occurred at Fegin Baza village in Tsafe Local Government Area, where an APC chieftain, Umaru Moriki, was killed on the Gusau-Tsafe highway. Later that night, another group of gunmen invaded two locations on the outskirts of the Gusau metropolis, kidnapping more residents. The attacks happened just one day after the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, visited the state and announced the deployment of fresh troops to tackle criminality.
The attack on the Gusau-Tsafe highway targeted commuters. Among those killed was the APC chieftain, Umaru Moriki (Sarkin Fadan Moriki), who was traveling to Kaduna. A survivor, Abdulrahman Ahmad Dole, claimed the bandits might have been targeting the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, as the attack occurred minutes after the CP’s convoy passed the area.
A resident of Fegin Baza, Malam Musa Yusuf, reported that the village had received prior intelligence of an impending attack. Vigilantes mobilized overnight and successfully resisted the bandits when they arrived around 10 am;
It was after they realised they could not overpower our people that they changed their plan and blocked the Gusau-Funtua Highway and operated for a few minutes,resulting in the mass abduction and Moriki’s death.
Later on Saturday night, a separate bandit group invaded two areas behind the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) station and the Bulunku area in the Gusau outskirts, kidnapping at least one woman and her son.
The attacks followed a visit by Defence Minister Matawalle, a former governor of the state, who had assured residents that “Zamfara will no longer bow to fear” and promised to issue a marching order to the newly deployed troops to deal with criminals.
The Minister of State for Defence attended the funeral prayer for the late Moriki and offered condolences.
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