HOUR after the Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state requested four Armoured Personal Carriers (APCs) from the Federal Government to enable the military to tackle rising banditry in the area, bandits struck the Zormi community, the Zurmi LGA headquarters, killing soldiers, destroying APC and other military vehicles on Tuesday, December 12.
According to a document signed by Iliya Garba Zurmi on behalf of the sole administrator of the LGA, dated December 10, addressed to the commissioner of security and home affairs in Zamfara state, and obtained by The ICIR, the APCs are needed to fight armed and rampaging bandits.
In the document, the LGA listed details of various attacks on communities by a group of armed bandits suspected to be from the enclaves of a notorious bandits leader, Sani Black.
It also listed the names, age and gender of victims of the attacks.
On Wednesday, December 13, The ICIR exclusively reported how the bandits attacked Zormi town, killed soldiers, and destroyed the military base in the community, its armoured personnel carrier, and other vehicles.
According to the LGA, on Wednesday, December 6, the armed bandits in large numbers with their animals invaded farmlands around the Gidan Shaho axis of Sarkin Yamma district, grazing and destroying farm crops,
“This dastardly act started in October and has lasted to date. The armed bandits were chased by Operation Hadari stationed in Zurmi.”
It added that the military succeeded in retrieving about 44 sheep left by the armed bandits around Gidan Shaho village, adding that the bandits returned to Gidan Shabo on December 8 with their animals grazing and destroying farm crops.
The LGA said the military went back to the area and chased them away, leaving behind another 115 sheep, which were also moved to the Zurmi community.
“Around 11:30 pm the same armed bandits entered the village burning local grain silos, houses, and shops, killing one Mande aged 50. One Dodo Roba, 60 years sustained gunshots and is currently receiving treatment at General Hospital Zurmi. They also kidnapped 23 innocent persons,” the LGA stated.
The LGA said that the military responded upon receiving the attack report, returned to Gidan Shaho, and chased the bandits away.
It added that on December 9, 2023, the armed bandits moved to Nasarawa Zurmi, the headquarters of Zurmi Local Government, killing two innocent people, namely Jiuji (alias Asha stim, Garba Rikwamba), kidnapped five women, injuring one Abubakar Jari and Yusuf Tailor who is currently receiving treatment at General Hospital Zurmi.
The report said on Sunday, December 10, the district head of Zurmi West, Lawal Ibrahim Sarkin, was almost lynched by members of the community while paying condolence at the family house of those killed by the armed bandits.
“In his condolence speech, he made a slip of tongue and said he is advising the local government council to conduct a security meeting and reconcile with the armed bandits with a view to stopping the rampant attack of innocent lives. Most of the internally displaced persons that attended the funerals were not happy with his remarks and, as such, decided to protest.”
As a result, the LGA said people started throwing stones and raining abusive words on the district head for provoking them with his statement that the LGA should embrace reconciliation with the bandit as the only way to stop the rampant attack on the community.
It added that it took the intervention of the security agents to rescue the district head from the hands of the IDP.
Consequently, the LGA requested the immediate intervention of the military authorities to send four more APCs to complement the one already existing at Zurmi Military Camp.
In its exclusive report on Wednesday, December 13, The ICIR highlighted how bandits suspected to be loyalists of a notorious kingpin Gwaska Dankeremi, attacked the military base in the Zurmi community, killing three soldiers.
This organisation gathered that the resurgence of the banditry attacks in the area could be linked with the recent military operations that led to the recovery of many cattle from the dreaded bandits in a nearby forest.
Consequently, the bandits launched a series of attacks on the community for five consecutive times, leaving four civilians dead and injuring others.
Zurmi shares a border with the Niger Republic.
The ICIR gathered that the worst of the attacks occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 12.
The attack lasted from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., during which four patrol vehicles of security operatives, including a military armoured personnel carrier (APC), were destroyed.
A government official who pleaded anonymity said three soldiers were killed during the encounter.
The ICIR reports that Zamfara is one of the North-West states facing protracted insecurity.
Zamfara has faced attacks from terrorists, lost hundreds of residents to insecurity, and had thousands of others displaced.
In October 2022, this organisation reported how 30 schools remained shut after one year because of insecurity.
A reporter with the ICIR
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