A gang of bandits operating in Maru County of Zamfara State led by a bandit chief calling himself “Damina” raided four villages on Friday night (Nov. 24) and abducted more than 100 locals.
The outlaws struck over the failure of the locals to keep up with the payment of a N110 million levy as retribution after Nigerian troops killed four of their men. Damina accuses the locals of giving soldiers tip-offs of his gang’s movements.
Several remote communities in Zamfara State and many parts of Northwest Nigeria have been paying taxes to terrorists to avoid attacks or to have access to their farms. The locals of the four villages reportedly were given a week to raise a total of N110 million, according to Nigerian media.
The deadline reportedly expired last Friday, leading to the abduction of the villagers who were still running helter-skelter to raise the money, showing how brazen the activities of the terrorists have been in the area. The affected villages are Mutunji, Unguwar Kawo, Kwanar Dutsi and Sabon Garin Mahuta.
Read more: https://ait.live/banditry-suspected-terrorists-abduct-over-a-hundred-persons-in-zamfara/
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
