Armed Bandits Indiscriminately Shoot Villagers In Zamfara Nigeria, 200 Dead

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - At least 200 people in several villages in Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria have been killed in a spate of deadly attacks by armed criminals, according to a community statement, Saturday, January 8.

The incident took place after the bandits' hideouts were hit by air raids by the military.

Residents could return to their villages on Saturday after the military brought the situation under control to arrange mass funerals, they told Reuters via Antara.

The state government said 58 people died in the attacks.

However, Ummaru Makeri - a resident whose wife and three children were killed in the attack - said around 154 people had been buried, including several members of the security guard group.

Meanwhile, according to some residents, the total number of fatalities reached at least 200 people.

Reuters on Friday, January 7 reported that at least 30 people were killed in the Anka area of Zamfara when more than 300 armed bandits and motorbikes stormed eight villages.

The gang started shooting sporadically on Tuesday this week. One resident said the attacks were likely related to earlier attacks by the military.

Many attacks have taken place in southwestern Nigeria. In the region, cases of mass kidnappings and violent crimes have spiked since late 2020 as governments grapple with maintaining order.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, 30 students abducted from their college in the southwestern state of Kebbi were released on Saturday, a spokesman for the governor of Kebbi said.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement on Saturday that the military had more equipment to hunt down and eliminate criminal groups that had been terrorizing citizens.

Buhari stressed that the government would not relax military operations to eliminate the bandits.