Zamfara State was plunged into grief on Friday after reports emerged that bandits killed at least 50 residents of Dutsin Dan Ajiya village in Anka Local Government Area.
Videos seen by RBN Correspondent showed the victims’ bodies draped in white in preparation for a mass burial.
A local resident, speaking anonymously, revealed that the attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the village on Thursday night and opened fire indiscriminately. He added that the assailants had blocked all access roads to prevent residents from fleeing. He said, “After blocking all the roads, the bandits started to shoot at sight and the villagers ran helter-skelter.
“After the attack, we realised that 30 people were killed; some were wounded, while several others are at large and nobody knows their whereabouts.” A lawmaker representing Bukkuyum South, Hamisu Faru, told the news agency that the attackers raided the village from around 5pm on Thursday until about 3.30am on Friday, burning down buildings and shooting residents who tried to flee.
“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru added.
A 41-year-old resident of the village, Abdullahi Sani, also said three family members were killed in the attack.
He said, “No one slept yesterday, we are all in pain.”
According to Sani, residents alerted security forces and local authorities when they saw more than 150 motorcycles carrying the hoodlums, but they got no support.
The state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, could not be reached for comment.