Twenty villagers in Zamfara state were killed by a group of gunmen, the police force said Wednesday.
According to reports the armed men arrived the community on motorbikes after blocking the community’s entry and exit points before unleashing terror on the defenceless residents.
“It was a well planned and coordinated attack; they also stole many livestock and escaped to the forest,” a resident said pleading anonymity for security reason.
The resident alleged that the attack was in retaliation for the massive ongoing onslaught by Nigerian security forces against the armed bandits in their forest enclave.
The Emir of Talata Mafara, Bello Muhammed, led the funeral prayer for the victims on Wednesday morning. Many residents have reportedly deserted the community in fear, with those left behind appealing for the deployment of more security personnel to the area.
The attack against Tungar Kwana village was conducted by “bandits who see the rural residents as informants for the security agencies,” said Mohammed Shehu, spokesperson of the state police.
Last week, information provided by the villagers helped the security troops based in the state kill “many of” the nearby gunmen, according to Shehu.
“The gunmen see the villagers as a soft target to avenge the ongoing offensive against them,” Shehu said, adding the troops have launched a hunt to arrest those bandits and bring them to justice.
(C) Control TV 2020.
