Eleven persons have been slain by bandits in the Dangulbi hamlet of Zamfara State’s Maru Local Government Area.
On Sunday afternoon, July 10, the bandits, linked with infamous drug lord Damina, reportedly raided multiple farms in the neighbourhood, killing 11 people and leaving many more missing.
Mohammed Shehu, a spokesman for the Zamfara State Police Command, verified the number of casualties to Channels Television on Monday morning and said that the police have since sent a reinforcement squad to the area to bring the neighbourhood back to normality and tranquillity.
Shehu claims that the tactical police officers have started a confidence-building patrol in the impacted neighbourhood.
He said, “The one at our disposal is 11 people (killed) and the command has already sent a reinforcement team to the affected community and the reinforcing team has been able to return normalcy in the area. They are currently on confidence-building patrol and there is relative normalcy in that axis.”
Residents who were interviewed by Channels TV stated that bandit attacks had been occurring often in Dangulbi and the nearby settlements over the last few days.
Saifullahi Ibrahim, a resident of Maru LGA, claimed that the notorious bandit asked the community for a sum of N2 million so they could cultivate their property during the rainy season, and the locals complied.
He said, “The wave of attacks on our communities started about three days ago when a bandit kingpin called Damina asked our people to pay N2 million to him to allow them to cultivate their lands.”
Ibrahim claims that Kango, a different community only 2 km from Dangulbi, was raided last Friday and that seven people were reportedly killed.
“He (Damina) attacked Kango village, a 2km settlement away from Dangulbi, and killed seven people. Then yesterday (Sunday), in the afternoon, he proceeded to Dangulbi environs when people were on their farms working. They (the terrorists) rounded them up and 14 people were confirmed killed on their various farms and some (persons) are missing.”
Lawali Yusuf, Basiru Bakwai, Murtala, Ashiru Suleman, Dayyabu Adamu, Sufiyanu Sani, and Kamalu Sani were among the victims named by the resident.
