An attack by gunmen on three communities in Zamfara State on Thursday, July 8, 2021, has left 26 persons dead and 7 injured.
Sources said the attack was launched by three terror groups, between the hours of 12:20 p.m. and 4:32 p.m. on Thursday at Gidan Dawa, Gidan Adamu, and Wari villages in Faru ward, Maradun Local Government Area of the state.
As of press time, a definite figure has not been placed on deaths recorded, however, there are fears that 26 is the least number of those lost in the attack.
Speaking to the publication, Muawiya Sardauna, a resident of the area described the latest incident as a counterattack by the terror gangs targeting innocent residents believed to be related to members of a local vigilante group, Yan Sa Kai.
“This is a reprisal attack on the people of the villages by the terror group, because both the “Yan Sa Kai and the terrorists have been at loggerheads.”
“Immediately we received information of the attack, we mobilized community volunteers and followed a troop of the Nigerian Army that arrived shortly after the attack for a rescue mission,” Sardauna said.
He said 26 persons were found dead when the community volunteers arrived at the affected villages, while the seven injured persons were taken to hospital in the late evening.
“The injured were rushed to Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau, the state capital of Zamfara for emergency treatment.”
Another eyewitness, Bala Danbuga, said about nine vehicles that brought the troops of the Nigerian Army and a helicopter hovering in the sky did not arrive in time to meet the terrorists.
He added that he narrowly escaped, saying, “They attacked us in the villages and others on their farms while at work.”
