Security & Crime
Zamfara residents kill 37 bandits in self-defense
Zamfara residents killed 37 bandits in a self-defense confrontation. Read about the bravery and the impact of this deadly encounter.
37 bandits who had invaded their community with plans to abduct locals were successfully killed by the brave residents of Matusgi village in Zamfara State’s Talata Mafara Local Government Area as they took a bold defensive action.
On Wednesday at approximately 2 p.m., the bandits arrived on motorcycles and were confronted with strong opposition, as reported by a nearby citizen.
The villagers, alerted of the approaching assault in advance, geared up by equipping themselves with a combination of homemade weaponry and customary arms.
Although they had previously defended their community, this occasion stood out since it was the first time they caused considerable harm to those who attacked them.
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At first, the bandits tried to scare off the villagers by firing their guns upon arrival. Nevertheless, the villagers were prepared for this strategy and responded with a counter-attack.
Following a grueling fight that lasted an hour, the bandits had no choice but to pull back and abandon 10 of their own deceased members. Despite this setback, the courageous villagers reassembled themselves and devised a trap for their adversaries. As soon as the bandits tried to regather and resume their assault, they fell victim yet again at the hands of determined locals who pushed up the tally of slain marauders all way up to 37 in number.
The clash was confirmed by Alhaji Ciroma Muhammad, the District Head of Matusgi. He stated that three villagers were killed during the encounter and added that nearby communities witnessed bandits moving their deceased comrades on motorcycles.
Alhaji Muhammad declared that their village has been attacked yet again for the thirteenth time by these bandits. He revealed that just three weeks back, they had abducted 23 villagers, mainly women without any resistance and demanded a ransom of N150,000 per person. Sadly only seven female captives have been rescued thus far with others still being held hostage.
In the adjacent state of Kaduna, government forces effectively eliminated eight bandits in a distinct operation.
During a patrol in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area’s Kampanin Doka region, soldiers encountered and rapidly confronted bandits. Seven of them were killed instantly. Additionally, following a search operation by troops, one more bandit was eliminated in the Gayam location as reported by Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs who oversaw the incident.
In addition, the mission resulted in the retrieval of multiple articles and armaments consisting of three AK-47 rifles, ammo supplies, motorbikes as well as communication gadgets.