At least 11 people were on Sunday killed and 20 others abducted when bandits attacked the Gidan Zuma community in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Residents said the abducted victims were mostly women and children.
They said the attackers were unchallenged after local vigilantes manning the community went to defend a neighbouring community under attack.
Gidan Zuma is a few kilometres from Bungudu town, the headquarters of the local government, which is about 12 kilometres from Gusau, the Zamfara State capital. Until Sunday’s incident, the community rarely suffered attacks due to its local defence mechanism that scared away armed bandits.
“The attackers invaded the town on Sunday after they got a hint that our vigilante members went to assist the neighbouring community that was under attack,” a resident told newsmen “The gunmen first killed five people at the entrance of the town and killed six others at the climax of their operation inside the town.”
Another resident whose wife and child were among those abducted told BBC Hausa service on Monday how the attack happened. He said the attack happened during the day when most of the residents were observing the Islamic Ramadan fast.
“I don’t know the condition of my family now, I watched as they went away with my wife backing the child, I was helpless,” he said
