President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the recent attacks by bandits on communities in Zamfara State.
Reports say that no fewer than 55 people were killed in separate attacks by bandits in four Zamfara communities in three days.
The affected communities are Sabon Gari Damri, Damri, and Kalahe – in Bakura Local Government Area, and Faru in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara.
In a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President asked the military to stop the killings by the terrorists.
“We mustn’t allow the return of days when the bandits had a free hand to do as they wished,” he was quoted to have said. “The rural folk in Zamfara and elsewhere must be allowed to have peace.
“Therefore, the momentum that has been developed must be sustained in order to bring closure to the activities of these murderers.”
He expressed condolences to the families of the victims as well as the government and people of the State, adding that the combined efforts of the Federal and State governments must do all that can be done to bring an immediate end to the horrific killings.
President Buhari, however, commended the military for the incessant onslaught and for not showing any let up as they continue to achieve positive outcomes based on their current operational trajectory in Zamfara, and other states in the North West.
According to him, there appears to be relative calm in the state with situations returning to normal in most parts and locals in the rural communities ready to live their lives normally again.
The President, however, decried several breaches recorded recently, especially in view of the latest attacks on the communities where a number of casualties were recorded.
No fewer than seven persons have been reportedly killed in Faru, a community in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
This comes barely two days after a deadly attack in another local government of the state which left at least 48 villagers dead.
The assailants who were heavily armed, an eyewitness said, stormed the community some minutes before 2pm and began to fire sporadic gunshots.
A resident narrated that in the process, seven persons were killed while several others sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds.
However, police authorities in Zamfara have yet to react to the latest attack by bandits in the state.
Efforts to reach the command’s spokesperson, Muhammed Shehu, for comments were not successful at the time of this report.
Before Sunday’s incident, bandits had killed at least 48 persons in Sabon Gari Damri, Damri, and Kalahe communities – all in Bakura Local Government Area of the state.
The Sole Administrator of Bakura Local Government, Aminu Suleiman, who confirmed this, said the bandits, in their large number and riding on motorcycles, launched an attack via Sabon Gari Damri village around 2pm on Friday.
He said the assailants had killed nine people before proceeding to Damri community where they killed four persons, including a police officer and an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The bandits, according to Suleiman, set ablaze a Hilux vehicle belonging to the police in Damri before they left for Kalahe – a village between Sabon Gari Damri and Damri – where they killed eight persons.
He added that the bandits killed some patients who were receiving treatment when they attacked a healthcare facility in Damri, and were forced to retreat to Sabon Gari Damri where they killed dozens of persons again, following a gunfight with security operatives.
In all, Suleiman confirmed that a total of 48 people were killed during Friday’s attacks.