Suspected armed bandits on Wednesday sacked three communities in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, killing at least 25 residents.Some of those killed were said to be working on their farms when they were attacked.

UPDATED

The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the killing of five persons in Gidan Halilu village in Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area of the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Muhammad Shehu, made the confirmation in a statement issued in Gusau.

“We wish to confirm that on December 19, a group of armed bandits attacked some villagers of Gidan Halilu Village in Billashe district of Birnin Magaji Local Government Area in their farms.

“On receiving the report, the command mobilised teams of Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit and conventional personnel headed by the Area commander, Kaura Namoda Police Area Command, to the affected community.”

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The News Agency Nigeria reports that five corpses were recovered while one person was injured.

The corpses were taken to a hospital in Birnin Magaji while the injured was admitted for treatment.

According to Shehu, the area has been subjected to extensive bush combing with a view to preventing further attacks.

The police spokesperson said that fear-reduction and confidence-building patrols, as well as stop-and-search exercise, were ongoing in the area.

Shehu, who said normalcy had been restored in the area, appealed to residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the nearest police station for prompt action.