From Maiharaji Altine, Gusau
Bandits have again killed 93 people in Kadawa village of Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state, while several others were seriously wounded.
An indigene of the area, Malam Muhammadu Dansani who narrowly escaped death told The Analyzer News on phone that, the incident happened between Thursday night and Friday morning.
Dansani said, the bandits who looked like foreigners invaded the village of Kadawa on motorcycles on Thursday night and began to shoot sporadically where they killed 93 people.
He maintained that, 67 bodies were seen in the village and the remaining 26 were found outside the village.
He said, “The bandits are non Nigerians. They were speaking French and their language and they have long plaited hair. Most of them are blacks and are short”.
According to him, they spent several hours in the village lamenting that, the security personnel were not at the scene of the incident.
“They were in the village from Thursday night up to Friday morning and nobody came to rescue us. Said Dansani.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Husaini Rabiu, said he had visited the scene of the crime in company with the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
Rabiu also said those that were killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.
He said, “I visited the scene and mobilised our men to secure the area. Those killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.
Rabiu described the incident as worrisome, adding that the attackers did not want the farmers to cultivate “anything without paying them money.”
Rabiu described the incident as worrisome, adding that the attackers did not want the farmers to cultivate “anything without paying them money.”
Earlier, the spokesman for the state police command, Mohammed Shehu said that some corpses were brought to Gusau for burial.
Meanwhile, the state government has cancelled the democracy day celebration due to insecurity and urged the people of the state to defend themselves against banditry.
Speaking in Gusau during a prayer session organized by the state government to seek for divine intervention against banditry, Governor Bello Matawalle said, “The insecurity situation has defied solution, as such people should defend themselves”.
“I am calling on the people of the state to defend themselves if the bandits attack them”.
“My Government has approved that whenever the bandits attack you, do not wait for the security personnel to come to your rescue. You should rise up and protect yourselves”.
“My Government has also planned to recruit the locals from each community who will be in charge of monitoring their villages to ensure that the bandits did not attack them”
“I am calling on the traditional rulers and community leaders to make sure that only people of proven integrity are recruited”.
Matawalle also urged the traditional rulers to fish out the bad eggs in their communities that were conniving with the bandits.
The Governor suspended the Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku whole emirate the killings took place.
In a statement signed by the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe, it was stated that, “Governor Bello Matawalle has approved the suspension of Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Muhammad”.
“Accordingly, Alhaji Bello Suleiman (Bunun Kanwa) is to take charge of Affairs of the Emirate immediately”.
The Governor has also approved the constitution of a high powered Committee to investigate allegations made against the suspended Emir, on his involvement in the escalating rate of banditry attacks in the Emirate”.
