Approximately 50 communities in the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State have fallen victim to relentless attacks by bandits.
The onslaught has resulted in the abduction of hundreds of residents and claimed the lives of two police officers and three civilians, according to Bello Hassan, the lawmaker representing the Zurmi/Shinkafa Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.
Speaking to BBC Hausa Service on Tuesday, Hassan revealed that over 500 individuals have been kidnapped in the affected villages over several weeks.
He said the attacks have instilled fear among the populace, prompting many to flee their homes in search of safety.
The lawmaker said: “At Kanwa village on Saturday, the gunmen killed three people and abducted over 30 others. At Gidan Shaho in the Nasarawa area on Monday, they killed two police officers and wounded many people. We are now trying to ascertain the number of people missing following the (latest) attack.”
He said the attacks were continuing despite the efforts of the federal and state governments to check the atrocities.
“There is a need to redefine some of the approaches being deployed by the security operatives in fighting the terrorists in Zamfara.
“The truth of the matter is that the security operatives deployed in Zamfara State are insignificant. Some of them deployed in the areas have overstayed, some for eight years, others for 10 years.
“They have stayed longer than necessary, they need to be changed. We have reported this issue severally to those authorities concerned but without any response,” he added.
