Bandits bearing sophisticated weapons have rustled more than 500 cattle at Kasuwar Daji Market in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.

The state chairman of the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Comrade Aminu Garba, said the incident was not the first of its kind, noting that a similar attack occurred about four years ago.

“Nobody expected this to happen, but we experienced a similar unfortunate incident about four years ago,” Comrade Aminu said.

The chairman added that the bandits were suspected to have infiltrated the market and surrounding villages during the daytime, where they monitored activities and transactions involving livestock buyers.

Comrade Aminu further explained that the rustled animals were purchased from multiple markets, including cattle brought in from the Niger Republic, and were assembled at Kasuwar Daji being the largest animal market in the area.

“Normally, we begin purchasing animals every Wednesday up to Kasuwar Daji market day before boarding trucks to Lagos,” Aminu said.

According to him, the bandits rustled the cattle and fled towards the western part of Kasuwar Daji village.

“The bandits were many — more than 50 — and they were carrying sophisticated weapons. They operated at night and later moved towards the western part of the market because that area leads into the forest, and the market is not fenced,” he said.

One of the victims, Alhaji Sani Yaba Ajiyan Fawa, however, estimated the number of the attackers to be more than 100.

Ajiyan Fawa said the rustled animals belonged to livestock breeders popularly known as ‘Yantugu’ in Hausa.

He added that about 60 animals out of the total number were later recovered.

“As you know, it is very difficult to control large animals in such a chaotic situation. The ones that were returned were those that scattered during the operation,” Ajiyan Fawa said.

Speaking on the proximity of security operatives stationed less than 200 metres from the market, Ajiyan Fawa said there was no security response until after the bandits had escaped with the animals.

However, Comrade Aminu Garba attributed the incident to what he described as a lack of awareness among market guards, who failed to promptly alert security agencies.

“The people taking care of the cattle are not sufficiently exposed to seek timely intervention from security personnel,” Aminu said.

He added that the rustled animals belonged to multiple owners, noting that some cattle were jointly owned.

“Some people even jointly own a single animal, and all our cattle are properly marked. We are currently deploying our internal measures to ensure that the animals are recovered,” Aminu said. (Daily Trust)