BREAKING: Bandits Kill 7 Vigilantes, Abduct 38 Residents In Zamfara Attack

Bandits have killed seven members of a local vigilante group and abducted 38 residents during a midnight attack on Kaura Namoda town in Zamfara State, with the assailants reportedly operating for more than three hours before withdrawing.

The attackers reportedly entered the town through a riverine route in the early hours of Saturday, striking Kofar Zurmi and Old Market areas.

Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Hon. Munnir Haidara, confirmed the killing of seven members of the Joint Task Force (JTF), a local security outfit established to help protect communities against attacks.

Haidara said the council recruited residents into the security outfit and provided them with weapons to defend their communities. He added that some members of the group who sustained injuries during the attack were receiving treatment in hospitals.

He said the council was still compiling information to establish the number of residents abducted by the attackers.

“We don’t have the actual number of people abducted during yesterday’s attack. We are still gathering data, but we hope to get the exact figure between now and this evening,” he said.

A resident, Bello Lauwali, said the bandits exploited an alternative route near the river to bypass local fortifications manned by vigilantes around the town.

According to Lauwali, vigilantes usually maintained positions on the outskirts of the town, where they constructed local clay fortifications to deter attacks. He said some remained on duty until about 3am, occasionally firing warning shots to discourage armed groups from advancing into the community.

He said the attackers blocked access routes while engaging members of the civilian JTF in a prolonged gun battle, making it difficult for other security personnel to advance for fear of being ambushed.

Another resident, Zayyanu Usman, alleged that the movement of security personnel and vigilantes to Kaduna State for the launch of President Bola Tinubu’s second-term campaign contributed to the community’s vulnerability.

“Almost all the security agencies, including the vigilantes, were transported to Kaduna for the campaign. Those left behind were mostly young boys and the bandits took advantage to attack the town,” he said.

However, Haidara dismissed the allegation, insisting that those who travelled to Kaduna were political supporters and stakeholders, not security operatives.

He said he personally supervised the departure of those who travelled in 10 vehicles provided for the trip.

“I am the chairman of the local government and I was the one who assigned the people transported in the 10 vehicles given to us to attend the campaign launch of President Tinubu. Everybody taken to Kaduna was a frontline political supporter. We did not take any security personnel,” he said.

The council chairman questioned why the local government would withdraw personnel responsible for protecting residents to attend a political event.

“We cannot take security personnel to a campaign launch when those people are responsible for protecting residents. If we take all of them away, do you expect us to leave the people without security?” he asked.

Meanwhile, a hunter who identified himself only as Dutse said the bandits also suffered casualties during the attack, alleging that about 15 of them were killed. He claimed the attackers were able to retrieve the bodies of their dead fighters.