A community source confirmed this to SaharaReporters, saying the majority of the abductees are children and women.
About 28 people were reportedly abducted by a group of terrorists at Tsanu village in the Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Thursday evening.
A community source confirmed this to SaharaReporters, saying the majority of the abductees are children and women.
The source added that one person was also killed by the terrorists during the attack.
He lamented that the terrorists have been openly and boldly terrorising the local government area, exploiting the prevailing security vacuum and lack of decisive action from the government and law enforcement agencies.
According to him, this has allowed the terrorists to operate with relative ease and freedom.
The source said: “Last night (Thursday night), bandits invaded the Tsanu community under the Sauna district of Talata Mafara local government, Zamfara state. They abducted about 28 people, most of them women and children, and shot one.”
He continued: “This is the current situation of the Talata Mafara local government. After they rustled almost all the animals in the region, they are now abducting people for ransom confidently.
“Most of the villagers in Talata Mafara local government area spent more than a year without sleeping in their houses. They prefer to sleep in the bush and come back to their homes in the morning because, at any time, bandits can come and do whatever they want in the night without facing any threat.”
The Zamfara Police Command, Yezid Abubakar did not respond to several calls and text messages sent to him, seeking his reaction to the incident.
SaharaReporters, however, learnt that the three abducted residents of Yan Ukku village of Garbadu Ward, Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara State have been released by bandits.
SaharaReporters reported their abduction on August 26, 2024, after the terrorists invaded the area and rustled all the livestock being reared in the agrarian community.
One of the victims was identified as Muhammadu Lakada.
Muhammadu’s brother who spoke to SaharaReporters said the terrorists contacted the family to demand the sum of N40 million as ransom. SaharaReporters could not independently verify if ransom was eventually paid and how much was later paid to secure his release.