Bandits ambushed security operatives in Adabka, a town in Bukuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing at least 10 personnel and three civilians.

Locals said the attack happened on Friday as security forces attempted to rescue seven individuals abducted earlier in the town. Four captives escaped during the operation, while the remaining three were rescued.

The incident occurred as the security personnel were returning to Adabka village after an operation that resulted in the rescue of four kidnapped victims.

Residents said the casualties included one mobile policeman, five Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members, and four community guards. The three rescued civilians were also killed during the ambush.

The District Head of Adabka, the Sarkin Kiyawa Adabka, Alhaji Nafi’u Shehu, said a mobile police officer who had gone missing during the attack returned to the village after spending four days in the forest.

He said the officer fled the bandits’ camp while some were praying and others were sleeping.

Shehu said, “While narrating his ordeal, the officer told us he managed to escape from the scene of the attack and hid in the forest.

“The following day, he came out in search of a way back to the village but fell into the hands of a gang of bandits, who apprehended him. However, while some of the bandits were observing prayers and others were asleep, the policeman managed to escape from the camp.

“He hid again in the forest as the bandits searched the area, but could not find him. He remained in hiding until midnight, when he quietly slipped away. He ran for his life throughout the night and arrived at a village in the early morning.”

He also said the bodies of the slain security operatives had not been recovered for burial.

More than half of Bukuyum constituency under bandits’ control

Hon. Hamisu A. Faru, the member of the state assembly representing Bukuyum South, has called on the federal government to urgently intervene to ensure the safety of communities in the Bukuyum South constituency.

Speaking to newsmen, he said residents of his constituency were living in fear, “especially following the killing of security personnel who were protecting them. Some of the remaining security operatives have already relocated to Zuru.”

The lawmaker revealed that about 70 per cent of the Bukuyum South constituency is under the control of bandits.

He urged the federal government to deploy aircraft to the Bukuyum forest, where the criminals’ enclave is located.

“We are appealing to the federal government to send more security personnel to our local government to tackle the terrorists who are terrorising our communities, particularly in the southern part of Bukuyum,” he pleaded.

Bandits kill 2 worshippers in Sokoto mosque, abduct 6 others

Suspected bandits launched a deadly attack on Marnona community in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing two worshippers and abducting six others.

The attack occurred on Saturday night shortly after the Isha prayer.

A resident, who wished to be anonymous, told Daily Trust that the assailants stormed the community while worshippers were still in the mosque due to heavy rainfall.

“They opened fire inside the mosque, killing one person on the spot. A second victim, initially injured, later died in the hospital on Monday. They abducted six people from the mosque.

“It has been a while since we faced such an attack, so we relaxed our guard. But now, fear has returned. People are scared to go back to their farm,” the resident said.

The latest attack follows a brutal incident just a week earlier in the same community, where bandits killed two farmers and abducted 14 others, most of them children under the age of 10.

“Some of the children had gone to deliver food to their parents or to fetch food from the farm. Many didn’t come back,” the resident said

It was gathered that there are ongoing negotiations over ransom demands, though the exact amount remains unknown.

“Currently, there are discussions about paying ransom. Although I don’t know exactly how much they are demanding, because I am not among those communicating with them, I am certain that they are the ones requesting ransom. I just don’t know how much.

“There is a need to increase the number of security personnel, as people are now afraid to go to their farms,” the source added.

Reacting to the incident, the Sokoto State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Isa Sadiq Achida, condemned the incident, describing it as “barbaric” and “an act of cowardice.”

“Targeting worshippers in a sacred place of prayer shows the moral bankruptcy of the perpetrators. This attack is not only an assault on human lives but also on our collective faith and values,” he said.

Achida assured the public that both the state government and security agencies are working tirelessly to address the resurgence of banditry.

The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, confirmed the attack but said he had yet to receive a full briefing from the officer in charge of the affected area.

Security sources believe the attackers may have originated from camps in the forested areas between Sokoto and Zamfara states, an area known as a hideout for armed criminal groups.

Recent attacks in Zamfara, Sokoto

A wave of bandit attacks across communities in Sokoto and Zamfara States recently has left many people dead, dozens displaced, and more than 90 villagers abducted, sparking widespread fear and protests.

The Chairman of Dange Shuni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Boboi, confirmed the abduction of at least 30 people in coordinated attacks on several villages.

Displaced residents, mostly women and children, slept at the Dange motor park and along roadsides before they were evacuated to a school.

In Bimasa, Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State, just a few kilometres from Dange, residents reported a deadly overnight attack by armed bandits.

A resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Daily Trust that gunmen invaded the town around 12.30am last Thursday, killing four people and injuring one, who is currently hospitalized.

“They broke into shops and stole goods, including mobile phones,” the resident said, appealing to the government to improve security in the area.

“Once night falls, we can’t sleep peacefully.”

In neighbouring Zamfara State, hundreds of protesters, mainly elderly women and nursing mothers from Jimrawa village in Kaura Namoda LGA, stormed the Government House in Gusau last week, demanding urgent security intervention.

A protester, Maimuna Adamu, said most of their husbands were in bandits’ custody, which explained the large female turnout.

Another protester, Auwalu Umar, said, “They killed my father, mother, brothers, and sisters. I now live alone with no one to support or even advise me.”

In Kadeddaba village, Anka LGA, residents said they have been forced out of their homes and farmlands due to constant attacks.

A resident told Daily Trust that around 50 people are currently being held hostage by bandits, including 42 recently abducted in nearby Sabon Gari village.

“My younger brother is among those kidnapped. We initially agreed on N500,000 ransom, but now they are demanding N2 million.

“We’ve been stopped from farming. People are living in fear,” he said. (Daily Trust)