Bandits gun down Zamfara traditional ruler, lay siege to cemetery
Suspected bandits on Sunday killed at least 20 people in a fresh attack on Ganar- Kiyawa in Adabka district of Bukkuyum Local…
FILE PHOTO: Bandits on motorcycle
Suspected bandits on Sunday killed at least 20 people in a fresh attack on Ganar- Kiyawa in Adabka district of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Ganar Kiyawa community has suffered a series of deadly attacks in the recent past.
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The community had to pay N2m harvest levy slammed on them by bandits.
Another N2m was also paid as ransom for two kidnapped residents recently.
Residents said the armed men riding on motorbikes invaded Ganar-Kiyawa after they had raided another community where they rustled herds of cattle.
“When they laid the siege, residents scampered to safety after they sensed trouble. But the armed criminals began to chase the fleeing residents on motorbikes shooting at them. They killed at least 19 people there, including the village head.
“Shortly afterwards, the armed men disappeared into the bush. After they had left, the surviving residents picked the bodies of the slain residents from different spots inside the surrounding bushes for burial.
“The armed bandits suddenly came back and headed for the cemetery, thinking that the funeral rites had begun, but they saw no one at the cemetery and thereafter zoomed off to forest again.
“The bodies of those killed were later brought to Adabka, the district headquarters located 3 kilometers west of the raided community. The funeral rites took place at the district head’s palace,” a resident identified as Saminu Usman said.
A source at the palace told Daily Trust that the fleeing residents especially women and children were trooping to Adabka community to take refuge.
The spokesman for the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.