Armed bandits attacked Maru, the headquarters of Maru Local Government Area in Zamfara State, killed one person, set ablaze a police highway patrol vehicle, and abducted five individuals, including a lecturer from the College of Education (COE) Maru.
Reports indicate that the bandits, who were a significant number, stormed Maru town in the early hours of Sunday with the intent to abduct residents.
A resident of the town, Mallam Yusuf Musa, recounted to the Nigerian Tribune that the armed bandits arrived in Maru armed with sophisticated weapons. “When they entered the town, they started shooting periodically to scare people,” he said.
Additionally, Mallam Mohammed Amadu, an indigene of the area, told the Nigerian Tribune, “The bandits, who were numerous, invaded the town at night and launched an attack on the community.” He continued, “Many of us fled and sought refuge in the bush to escape the attack. Three women and two men, including Lawali Dan Muazu and Nasiru Anka, a lecturer at the College of Education Maru, were abducted.”
He described the incident as unfortunate, stating, “The people of Maru town are subjected to incessant attacks by armed bandits nowadays. Today’s attack marks the third time in just eleven days.”
He lamented that the bandits had also killed Abdul, a GSM repairer with a shop at the main entrance to Maru motorpark.
It is worth noting that last year, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), a police sergeant, and a vigilante member were killed in Maru town while on duty.
The late DPO, Kazeem Raheem, and two other policemen reportedly confronted the armed bandits and were shot and killed during a gun battle.
As of the time of reporting, the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, was unreachable, as several calls to his phone went unanswered, and his phone lines were switched off later.
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