Gunmen kill 30 in raids on Zamfara villages

About 30 persons have been reported dead following fresh attacks by gunmen in Birnin-Magaji local government area of Zamfara state.

Muhammad Gusami, chairman of the council, told NAN on Sunday that the attacks took place in Kokeya and Chigama villages in the area.

Gusami said the gunmen invaded Kokeya village with motorcycles and killed two persons, set some houses ablaze and carted away animals mostly cows.

He said that the “unfortunate incident” had been reported to the divisional police officer of Birnin-Magaji and that the zone was under surveillance.

Gusami said the next day, the attackers invaded the neighbouring village of Chigama.

“The gunmen, however, killed more than 30 persons whose bodies were still being recovered from the bush,” he said.

The chairman said the corpses have been taken to Birnin-magaji general hospital.

He said the Chigama attack took place shortly after three police trucks left the area with the impression that peace had returned to the communities.

He added that the bandits also set several houses on fire in the second attack on Chigama village.

Ibrahim Sani, a witness, also told NAN that the gunmen who invaded Kokeya struck while the villagers finished praying.

“The attackers shot sporadically in the air which prompted the people of Chigama to intervene,” he said.

“That might have provoked the gunmen to come back so as to punish Chigama people for trying to prevent the attack the previous day.

“While three persons were killed from Kokeya and Chigama on the first day in Kokeya, more than 50 were killed on the second day in Chigama while several houses were burnt.”

Sanusi Amiru, the police public relations officer in the state, confirmed the attack, saying  security personnel have been deployed to the communities and that normalcy had been restored.