Bandits Kill Seven Vigilantes, Abduct Dozens in Zamfara Community

Bandits have killed seven members of a local security outfit and abducted an unspecified number of residents during a prolonged attack on Kaura Namoda town in Zamfara State.

The attackers reportedly invaded parts of the town around midnight on Friday, entering through an alternative route near a river before engaging local vigilantes in a gun battle that lasted more than three hours.

The Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Hon. Munnir Haidara, confirmed the killing of seven members of the Joint Task Force (JTF), identifying Kofar Zurmi and the Old Market areas among the locations targeted.

Haidara said some members of the local security outfit were also injured and had been taken to hospitals for treatment. He added that the council was still compiling information to establish the number of residents abducted during the attack.

“We don’t have the actual number of people abducted during yesterday’s attack. We are still gathering data, but we hope to get the exact figure between now and this evening,” he said.

However, a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said the number of abductees could exceed 30, citing information received from a relative of one of the victims.

Another resident said the attackers exploited an alternative route near the river to bypass areas usually guarded by vigilantes and gain access to the town.

According to the resident, local vigilantes typically maintained positions on the outskirts of the community, where they erected makeshift clay fortifications and sometimes remained on duty until about 3 a.m., firing warning shots to deter potential attacks.

The resident alleged that the attackers blocked access routes while engaging the vigilantes, making it difficult for security personnel to advance into the affected areas for fear of possible ambushes.

He further claimed that the local security volunteers were disadvantaged by their limited firepower, relying mainly on pump-action shotguns and locally manufactured weapons.

The resident also alleged that the attackers invaded the home of an Islamic teacher, killed a young boy and abducted some of the cleric’s children.

Amid conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the attack, another resident alleged that the movement of security personnel and vigilantes to Kaduna State for the launch of President Bola Tinubu’s second-term campaign had left the community vulnerable.

“Almost all the security agencies, including the vigilantes, were transported to Kaduna for the campaign. Those left behind were mostly young boys, and the bandits took advantage of the situation to attack the town,” the resident claimed.

He said reports circulating about more than 15 abductees were based on preliminary information, adding that residents were still working to establish the actual number of people taken away.

However, Haidara dismissed the allegation that security personnel had been taken to Kaduna for the political event, insisting that those who travelled were political supporters and party stakeholders.

The chairman said he personally supervised the departure of the participants, who travelled in 10 vehicles provided for the trip.

“I am the chairman of the local government, and I was the one who assigned the people transported in the 10 vehicles given to us to attend the campaign launch of President Tinubu.

“Everybody taken to Kaduna was a frontline political supporter. We did not take any security personnel,” he said.

Haidara questioned the suggestion that the local government would withdraw security personnel from their duty posts to attend a political event, insisting that the council would not deliberately leave residents unprotected.

He maintained that no member of the local security outfit was among those transported to Kaduna.

The number of residents abducted in the attack remains unclear, while the competing accounts of the security arrangements before the incident have yet to be independently verified.