TheCable

At least 11 people have been killed following an attack by gunmen in Maru LGA area of Zamfara state. 

The attack was said to have occurred on Sunday morning in Kango and Dangulbi communities in the LGA.

Among those who were reportedly killed are farmers who went to cultivate their farms early Sunday morning.

Residents in the area are reported to have said 18 persons were killed while several others were displaced.

When TheCable contacted Muhammed Shehu, police spokesperson in Zamfara, on Tuesday morning, he said 11 persons were killed.

He said normalcy has returned to the area after a team of police officers and security operatives were dispatched to the communities.

“Normalcy has been restored and there is an adequate deployment of police officers and other security personnel. No cause for alarm. People are going about their legitimate business now,” he said

The north-western state has seen a spike in the activities of bandits who often raid communities and forcefully abduct locals for ransom.

In March, 16 people were killed when bandits raided Ganar-Kiyawa village in Bukkuyum LGA of the state. The gunmen stormed the community and started shooting sporadically, killing villagers, including the village head.

Weeks after the attack in Bukkuyum LGA, gunmen launched another offensive in three communities in Bakura LGA of the state, killing 50 people including security operatives.