Residents of Matusgi village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State have engaged a gang that had invaded the village with the intent to abduct locals.
According to reports during the encounter at least 37 bandits were reportedly killed by the locals.
The bandits were said to arrive the village on motorbikes around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, aiming to carry out abductions, but met resistance by the villagers who confronted the bandits.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymous said the bandits began their attack by firing sporadically to intimidate the community, but the residents armed with locally-made firearms fought back, while others used traditional weapons to encircle the area and prevent the bandits from escaping.
According to him, after an hour of intense fighting, the bandits retreated, with 10 of their members reported dead and the residents regrouped, strategized, and set up an ambush who launched another attack on the bandits upon their returned killing 37 of the bandits in all.
Alhaji Ciroma Muhammad, the District Head of Matusgi who confirmed the incident, said three villagers were killed during the clash, stressing that neighbouring villages reported seeing the bandits transporting the bodies of their fallen comrades on motorbikes.
“This is the 13th time bandits have attacked this village.
“Three weeks ago, the bandits kidnapped 23 people, mostly women. They carried out the operation quietly, without firing any shots until after they had left. We only became aware of their departure when they fired a few shots in the distance,” Alhaji Muhammad said.
He explained that the bandits had demanded a ransom of N150,000 per person and after payment, only seven of the abducted women were released, with the remaining hostages still in captivity.
In a similar development, the Overseeing Commissioner for the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs Kaduna State, Samuel Aruwan said the troops engaged the bandits, killing seven in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.
“The troops recovered several items, including three AK-47 rifles, eight AK-47 magazines (four empty and four loaded with a total of 120 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition), one magazine carrier, six motorcycles, three mobile phones, two Baofeng radio sets and three pairs of civilian clothes,” he said.
Aruwan added that the troops encountered additional bandits in the Gayam area, neutralizing one, and the remaining bandits fled with gunshot wounds.
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