Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have ravaged approximately 50 communities and abducted hundreds of residents after weeks of relentless attacks in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The alarming situation was disclosed by a lawmaker representing the Zurmi/Shinkafa Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Bello Hassan, during an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Tuesday.
Hassan lamented that the gunmen also killed two police officers and three civilians in the course of their attacks.
Just last week, Zurmi, the second most populous town in Zamfara State, fell victim to the terrorists who not only killed three officials at the emir’s palace but also abducted numerous residents.
Hassan expressed grave concern, suggesting that over 500 people might have been abducted in the affected villages over the past few weeks.
He highlighted the dire situation, stating that the attacks have forced many residents to flee their homes.
He further emphasized the plight of those who have remained, stating that they are being continually harassed by the gunmen who attack day and night.
Hassan urgently called for intervention by security agencies to address the escalating crisis in the area.
“At Kanwa village on Saturday, the gunmen killed three people and abducted over 30 others. At Gidan Shaho in the Nasarawa area on Monday, they killed two police officers and wounded many people. We are now trying to ascertain the number of people missing following the (latest) attack,” the lawmaker said.
He noted that the attacks were persisting despite the efforts of the federal and state governments to curb the atrocities.
“There is a need to redefine some of the approaches being deployed by the security operatives in fighting the terrorists in Zamfara,” Hassan said.
“The truth of the matter is that the security operatives deployed in Zamfara State are insignificant. Some of them deployed in the areas have overstayed, some for eight years, others 10 years. They have stayed longer than necessary, they need to be changed. We have reported this issue severally to those authorities concerned but without any response.”
Mr Hassan urged the security agencies to send more officers to the area and change their tactics in fighting the terrorists.
Zurmi, the second most populous town in Zamfara after Gusau, the state capital, is located on the border with Niger Republic and shares a boundary with Katsina State. It is among the areas in Zamfara State that are frequently targeted by terrorists.
The menace of attacks is not limited to Zamfara, as many communities in neighboring states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger are also being attacked by various terror groups, often referred to locally as bandits.
These bandits typically travel in long convoys of motorcycles to their targets, despite the presence of security personnel in these areas.
