Bandits attack Governor Matawalle’s local government, killing 42 people.

Bandits killed 42 farmers in five communities in Faru, Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State. They shot indiscriminately at the people and set fire to their homes and stores, a local resident said. The bandits raided the village after the arrest and killing of two of their members last Wednesday. The police were unable to reach the affected communities in a timely manner, Shehu said. Police are working “tirelessly” to apprehend the bandits, he said.

Their bodies were taken to Faru town and buried there, according to him. The bandits have been killed.

On Thursday evening, bandits killed 42 farmers in five communities in Faru, Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State. Governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle is a local government official.

Tsauni, Gudan-Baushi, Gidan-Adamu, Wari, and Gudan-Maidawa are among the communities affected.

Read also: Osubi Airport Re-Opens For Flight Operations 17months After Closure

Malam Buba Faru, a local resident, claimed that the bandits, who rode over 100 motorcycles, stormed the communities a few kilometers east of Faru town.

According to Buba, the bandits shot indiscriminately at the people and set fire to their homes and stores.

“They were shooting at people they came across in the five communities on a sporadic basis. They also attacked farmers who were cultivating their crops on their farms. Security and volunteer groups in the area have recovered 42 dead bodies so far.”

In a telephone interview yesterday, another village resident, Ahmed Lawali, confirmed the deadly invasion, saying the bandits, numbering up to 70, stormed the village at around 4.30 p.m., when most of the victims were working on their farms.

He explained that the marauding bandits who were on a vengeance mission to the village followed the farmers to their farms and began shooting sporadically, killing 39 people, mostly men, on the spot.

According to him, the bandits raided the village after the arrest and killing of two of their members last Wednesday along the Mafara-Faru road by a vigilante group known as Yan’sakai, who nabbed them with two AK-47 rifles.

“Bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked Faru Village yesterday (Thursday) around 4:30pm while some of us were still working on our farms,” he said. They (bandits) killed 39 people and injured many more on their farms.

“They (bandits) attacked the village because Yan’sakai arrested and killed two bandits with two AK-47 rifles along the Mafara-Faru road last Wednesday. It was a mission of retaliation.

”We buried all the dead bodies this morning (Friday) after Friday prayer, in accordance with Islamic rights. We are requesting assistance from security agencies so that we can return to our farms, as farming is our primary source of income here (in Faru).”

While confirming the incident, Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer SP. Muhammad Shehu stated that 35 people died as a result of the bandit attack in the village.

He went on to say that a joint security task force consisting of military, police, and the NSCDC had been dispatched to the area, and that “normalcy has been restored right now.”

Their bodies were taken to Faru town and buried there, according to him.

Shehu stated that due to the road network, the police were unable to reach the affected communities in a timely manner when they were informed of the bandits’ attack.

“When the police received information that the bandits were present, they tried their hardest to reach the affected communities, but they were unable to do so due to bad roads,” he said.

The “police are currently working tirelessly” to apprehend the bandits, he said.