Twelve members of one family were killed when armed men suspected to be bandits attacked Gidan Taba village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Saturday night.
Several other residents were abducted during the raid in Dosara Birnin Kaya Ward. The exact number of those taken could not be confirmed at the time of reporting.
The victims belonged to the family of Mallam Muhammadu Sani. He had gathered his relatives in a single room in an attempt to protect them from the attackers.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the family had locked themselves inside the room to escape abduction.
The attackers ordered the occupants to open the door. After they refused, the attackers set the room ablaze.
The Maradun Local Government Chairman, Hon. Sanusi Ahmed Dosara, confirmed the incident. He also led the funeral prayers for the deceased at Gidan Taba village on Sunday.
“Really, what occurred in Gidan Taba village is heartbreaking and disheartening. A father, his wives and small children, 12 of them, were all killed by fire,” Dosara said.
He explained that the victims died from the intense heat after the room was set ablaze.
“The bandits set the room ablaze. They were not burnt because the fire engulfed the roofing, but the horrible heat resulted in their death,” he said.
Dosara confirmed that several other residents were abducted. He said local vigilantes secured the release of some of them after a gun duel with the assailants.
“It has been confirmed to me by one of the vigilantes that the bandits abducted people, but they blocked them and secured the release of some after an exchange of gunfire,” he said.
He said the exact number of those abducted was yet to be established because of tension in the community.
“As of now, because the tension is high, we are yet to identify the actual number of people abducted, but later we will have the details,” he said.
Dosara said the attackers used a diversionary tactic, shooting sporadically in different directions to confuse security personnel and conceal their positions.
“They used disguise tactics of shooting sporadically in different directions, which confused security,” the chairman said.
The deceased were buried on Sunday morning in accordance with Islamic rites.
There is a difference in the reported death toll. While two reports put the figure at 12, one other report put it at 13, describing the victims as Sani Danwawo and his 12 family members.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the attack.
The incident has heightened concerns over security in parts of Zamfara, particularly communities along the Gusau-Sokoto highway, which have witnessed repeated attacks, ambushes and kidnappings.
Residents described the attack as barbaric and called on security agencies and the state government to strengthen security operations to prevent further killings and abductions.
Dosara said he had visited the nearest police mobile base to strengthen security cooperation and prevent a recurrence of the attack.
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