At Least 30 Killed By Gunmen In Zamfara – Police, Witnesses

At least 30 people have been killed by armed bandits who raided a village in Zamfara, police, and residents said Tuesday.

Motorcycle-riding
gunmen attacked Kware village in Shinkafi district on Sunday night,
opening fire on residents and burning homes.

“I can confirm 30
people were killed by the bandits in the attack in Kware,” Zamfara
police spokesperson Mohammed Shehu told AFP.

Residents, however, gave a higher toll of 34, with many others still missing.

“We
recovered 34 bodies after the attack and many more residents have not
been accounted for,” said Kware resident Alu Wadatau said.

“They came around 4:00 pm and opened fire on the village, shooting anyone on sight and burning houses,” he said.

The
attack came just three days after bandits killed 32 vigilantes in
Kware, at a checkpoint set up by locals, police, and residents had told
AFP.

The vigilantes were part of a militia force providing
security for traders in the area, with besieged communities taking
security into their own hands.

Deadly attacks have raged across the northwest where bandits have thrived.

Farming
and herding communities in Zamfara and the wider region have long been
terrorised by gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle and kidnapping
residents for ransom.

Last week some 60 people died in multiple raids on rural villages in Zamfara and Sokoto State.

The
repeat attacks on rural villages, often with little protection from
security forces, have spurred a rise in armed vigilante groups.

Yet the groups have been accused of extrajudicial killings of suspected bandits, leading to reprisals and escalating insecurity.

In recent months the criminal gangs launched attacks in neighboring Kaduna and Katsina states, abducting residents for ransom.

On
Saturday five villagers were killed in clashes with bandits in Sabon
Sara village in Kaduna state’s Giwa district near the border with
Zamfara, according to the police and residents.

Zamfara is a
political stronghold for President Muhammadu Buhari, who won the state
in recent presidential elections that handed him a second four-year
term.

He has pledged to continue confronting Nigeria’s many security crises while giving few details.

Source:- ChannelsTV