Unknown gunmen are currently attacking Malikawa village in Gidan Goga district in Maradun local government of Zamfara State, the ICIR has gathered.

The attack started over an hour ago, according to fleeing residents, one of who spoke to the ICIR.

Amnesty International Nigeria broke the news of the attack on Tuesday afternoon on its Twitter handle, saying that the gunmen entered the village and started shooting.

An attack is currently ongoing at Malikawa village in Gidan Goga district in Maradun local govt. of #Zamfara State. Gunmen entered the village and started shooting.

— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) July 17, 2018

A resident of Malikawa who spoke from Gidan Goga, where scores of the escaping villagers have fled, said that they met a team of seven mobile policemen in Gidan goga but they had only one Hilux truck, which had no fuel.

“The policemen here in Gidan Goga have been trying to see how they can reach Malikawa but they don’t have fuel in their vehicle,” the resident told our reporter.

This is coming after armed bandits attacked the village on Saturday July 14 abducting five people including two men and two women.

One of the woman had a baby strapped to her back when she was abducted. The whereabout of those kidnapped is still unknown as at the time of filing this report.

In May, at least 30 persons were killed in an attack by bandits at the same Malikawa village.

When contacted by ICIR on telephone, the Divisional Police Officer of Maradun Police Command  confirmed that some armed bandits crossed the river between Gidan Goga and the forest to attack the village.

He said they were repelled by a team of Mobile Policemen stationed at the village.

“For your information, we have Mobile Policemen there at Gidan Goga. They have gone there and the bandits have gone back to the bush. That’s what the Mobile Policeman told me. We are still going there,” he said

Asked on the number of casualties, the DPO said that the District of Gidan Goga told him no one was killed or injured.