Bandits in Zamfara State have abducted over 40 residents from communities in Maru Local Government Area over the past two weeks, according to reports.
In a telephone interview on Thursday, a resident of Maru town, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi, expressed concern over the escalating attacks in the area. He revealed that the bandits had been targeting local communities, carrying out house-to-house searches and kidnapping residents, including prominent figures.
“Just last week, the bandits stormed our town and conducted house-to-house searches, starting from the Emir’s palace area, and kidnapped seven people,” Abdullahi said.
He blamed the increase in abductions on informants who are allegedly helping the bandits. “Our major challenge is the bandits’ informants, as most of the kidnapped victims are prominent people in the area,” he explained.
Abdullahi added that more than 40 people are currently being held by the bandits in their camps following simultaneous attacks on Maru communities. He identified the bandits’ strongholds as being located behind the Bakalori Dam (Bayan Ruwa) in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state.
“We are in serious trouble because many bandits are relocating to the Maradun camp,” Abdullahi said, urging the federal and state governments to send more troops to the area to deal with the bandit camps.
Another local resident, Usman Abubakar, described Maru Local Government Area as a “colony of banditry,” stating that the terror is now widespread across the state. “When banditry began more than a decade ago, Dansadau, a district of Maru Local Government, was the epicenter. But now, the bandits have spread to all parts of the State, especially Maru,” he added.
It is also worth noting that earlier this year, bandits killed several police officers, including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in Maru town.
Efforts to reach the State Police Command for comment on the current situation were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
