The police in Zamfara State on Tuesday confirmed the killing of 23 persons in Tunga and Kabaje villages, Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area by suspected bandits in the early hours of the day.
Confirming the incident to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mohammed Shehu, a superintendent of police, said “it is true that the bandits killed 23 persons in the attack.
“At the moment, peace has been restored in the affected areas and a combined team of mobile and regular police, the Army and Air Force are on surveillance in the area.”
Earlier, Chairman of Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area, Lawal Isa, had said bandits numbering over 100 riding on motorcycles, invaded two communities in the early hours of Tuesday when residents were going to their farms.
He said the bandits may had come for reprisal following the killing of one of their suspected informants whose name he gave as simply Anas.
The chairman said unknowingly to Anas, he was trailed by local vigilante members when he picked a wife and child of a suspected bandit at Angwan Sarki village to take them to the man in the bush on his motorcycle.
“The vigilante members blocked the rider and killed all three instantly on Monday and at about 5 O’clock the following morning, the gang invaded the villages and killed the victims,” he said.
He said all the villagers killed had been buried in the two villages according to Islamic rites.
Mr Isa appealed to security agencies to consider going to the identified hideouts of the bandits, especially at Gidan na Zumbure village “which now harbours the bandits and serve as their base for launching attacks’’.(NAN)
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