Not less than 50 people were killed on Friday by bandits who attacked three villages in Bakura local government of Zamfara State, residents have said.
A former councilor who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen attacked Sabon Garin Damri, of the villages, around 2:30 p.m.
“I was in the main town when the bandits entered Sabon Garin Damri. We suddenly saw people running towards us. Then we started hearing sporadic gunshots. I was miraculously saved,” he said.
He said the bandits carried out what appears to be coordinated attacks from Sabon Garin Damri, Damri and Kalahe before a joint security team confronted them.
Another resident, Mu’azu Damri, told the newspaper that the number of casualties would have been more if the security agents didn’t confront the bandits.
“I’ll have to personally applaud them (security agents), though I believe they should have come earlier because if they came at the right time, they would have saved a lot of people. But their arrival helped because the number would have been more than that,” he said.
Mr Damri also said the bandits were pursued by the team of soldiers and police personnel, forcing them to abandon the livestock, food items, and other things they had looted from residents, Premium Times reported.