At least 143 bodies have so far been recovered and buried in the wake of brutal attacks on Wednesday and Thursday on several communities in Zamfara State.
Recall that bandits arrived in large numbers in the Anka and Bukkuyum local government on Tuesday evening, shooting and burning down houses until Thursday, according to Abubakar Ahmed, a resident in Bukkuyum.
“They killed more than 100 people,” Ahmed said, adding that as many as nine communities were affected in the incident.
Resident Aliyu Anka, in Anka, also confirmed that the casualty figure was more than 100. In one village, “they killed people from 20 years and above,” he said. “Some have been buried, some were burnt and we are still looking for bodies.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but blame quickly fell on the armed groups who have carried out thousands of abductions and killings in the northwest and central states.
Ibrahim Dosara, Zamfara commissioner for information, told AP they were awaiting more information about the incident including the number of casualties. As of now, a military aircraft has been deployed along with security forces as a manhunt for the attackers continues, he said.
Dosara, however, blames informants for the persistent attacks. “One of the serious problems is that we have a lot of informants getting information to these people (the gunmen,” he said, a challenge which experts have said continues as a result of the extreme poverty in many affected communities.
“The moment you strategize, the moment the enemies also strategize”
A retired soldier told Daily Trust that over 250 people had been killed by the attackers.
“About 2,000 cattle and other domestic animals were rustled while dozens of residential houses and food stores were burnt to ashes. Even if the situation stabilises, the residents would be left without food to eat,” another source said.
