Bandits Take Over Zugu, Zamfara As They K*ll And K*dnap Residents

In the Zugu village of the Bukkuyum Local Government in Zamfara State, the security situation is becoming worse. Innocent individuals have been killed, maimed, and kidnapped by bandits who have been attacking the whole Kyaram and Adabka wards for the past three months. Just two days prior, on Friday, September 2, 2022, armed bandits kidnapped 44 Muslim worshipers who had gathered at a jumu’at mosque in Zugu village in Bukkuyum local government of Zamfara to observe their required Friday prayers.

The victims were said to have been kidnapped when the suspected armed bandits assaulted the Jumu’at mosque in huge numbers with heavy and hazardous weapons while demanding that the victims accompany them to an unspecified location. As stated by Yusuf Zugu, Special Advisor to the Governor of Zamfara State, some of the unfortunate incidents that have occurred in the past three months are listed below.

1. During Friday prayers in Zugu town, 44 people were abducted, and one other person was injured.

2. Setting a police station and a patrol car on fire in Zugu.

3. Setting a number of homes, businesses, and grocery stores on fire.

4. The murder of thirteen (13) individuals and the kidnapping of several more in Zugu.

5. Two (2) persons killed and Fifteen others kidnapped in Gadar Zaima community on market day.

6. Persistent activities of armed bandits (kidnappings and killings) forced inhabitants of Taka-Lafiya and Kairu communities to fled their homes to safer places.

7. Over twenty (20) people killed in the communities of Balhi, Wawan Iccen Salihu and Wawan Iccen Ibra.

8. People in the affected communities do not have access to their farmlands and many more incidences.

It is against this backdrop that the citizens and people of that community wishes to report to the Federal Government and security agents and request the followings:

1. There is no presence of any conventional security personnel (military or paramilitary) in the area unless members of the recently constituted State Govt’s CPG, hence the need to deploy troops such as military, police and special anti terrorists squad to mitigate the menace.

2. There is need to deploy and stationed military personnel permanently at Zugu town been it headquarters of the ward to serve the town and neighbouring communities.

3. Btw Zugu town & Gadar Zaima there exists a route where bandits crosses 2 their popular enclave Gando forest where they took their victims, hence d need to deploy troops &attach dem wit members of CPG &ensure vehicular &foot patrol 2 avert tendencies of attacks on d communities

5. Need to intensify patrol in all the affected axis to guarantee farmers access to their farmlands and markets.

6. Need for Federal and State Governments to provide relief materials to the affected communities.

7. Need for security operatives to take the fight to the bandit’s enclaves and hideouts.

8. Need to support community protection volunteers with some incentives and lawful weapons to assist conventional security agents.

The Zamfara State Govt and the federal govt as well as the security agencies need to switch the approach in facing the menace because people are living in an utterly wretched condition and abject fear as the bandits keep on launching persistent attacks on them.