At least four persons have been confirmed dead after heavily-armed bandits launched a surprise attack on Ruwan Doruwa district in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
According to an eyewitness, the bandits invaded the community in the early hours of Friday morning, shooting sporadically which forced several residents to scamper for safety into nearby bushes.
The source revealed that the gunmen killed four people after which they went house-to-house in search of people to kidnap.
According to him, funeral prayers have been offered for those who were killed in the attack.
The bandits whisked away an unknown number of persons to an unknown location.
The Zamfara state police was yet to confirm the incident at the time of filing this report.
The attack on Ruwan Doruwa is the latest in the string of attacks that have plagued Zamfara state in he past one week.
It can be recalled that Chronicle NG reported the abduction of over 73 students from Government Day secondary school on Wednesday, while they were having classes.
Less than 72 hours later, two successive attacks have occurred in the state which questions the security architecture of the state.
On Thursday, prior to the latest attack, bandits attacked a police station in Nahuche district in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The North-West and Central states have for years been troubled by tit-for-tat attacks and community raids between nomadic herders and local farmers who clash over water and land.
However, violence has escalated sharply with the emergence of large criminal gangs who steal cattle, raid and loot villages and kidnap for ransom.
President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired General of the Nigerian Army, first elected in 2015, is under pressure over the spate of insecurity in the country.
The Nigerian Armed Forces have launched military raids and air strikes on bandit camps, but gunmen have kept up attacks and abductions.
Four states across the northwest, including Zamfara, have introduced restrictions including limiting motorbike traffic, restricting fuel sales and also suspending cattle markets and transport.
Armed gangs often arrive on motorbikes during their abduction attacks and also engage in castle rustling.
They operate out of camps hidden in forests in northwest Nigeria, often raiding and abducting in one state and crossing back with their victims into another state.
This year, bandits have turned their sights on schools, seminaries and colleges across the region, herding children and students deep into forest hideouts while they negotiate ransom payments.
Many students have been released only after spending weeks or months in captivity but dozens are still being held.
