Many Soldiers Feared Killed During Gun Duel As Bandits Abduct Motorists In Zamfara

Some soldiers were feared killed on Wednesday while trying to repel an attack by bandits on travellers in Zamfara State.

The incident happened on a road leading to Gusau between Kucheri and Wanzamai in the Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.

Witnesses told Premium Times that many motorists were also abducted by the bandits.

A lecturer at the Federal University Gusau, Maryam Gatawa, who narrowly escaped abduction during the incident, said the attack lasted for more than 30 minutes.

“They had just finished abducting people when our vehicle arrived. I saw people in the villages running from their homes to safety,” Mrs Gatawa said.

She added that some soldiers were killed while trying to repel the attack.

The bandits reportedly abducted many motorists and whisked away guns and ammunition belonging to soldiers.

Another resident, identified as Abubakar Bala Tsafe, also confirmed the attack to journalists.

He said, “I heard that they blocked the Wanzamai – Kucheri Road and killed soldiers. The attack took place around 2:45 pm and they (bandits) were said to have closed the road to ensure that security personnel did not come to the rescue of the motorists or villagers being attacked.”

A motorist said “around 2-3 pm this afternoon, on my way from Abuja to Gusau, immediately after Yankara in Katsina, we met a closed road being manned by some security personnel. We later found out that there was an attack on soldiers on the road by bandits who were said to be operating on the road.”

He noted further that he helped police officers to evacuate the corpses of the soldiers.

The state police spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him to get his comment on the attack.

Zamfara a North-west state, is one of the states currently under constant attacks by bandits.

Security measures including a shutdown of mobile phone services and curfew have been taken by the government to curb insecurity in the area.

Source:- SaharaReporters