THE Zamfara State Police Command has denied reports that more than 60 people were killed when gunmen suspected to be terrorists attacked Kadawa village in Zurmi Local Area of the state.
Spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command Mohammed Shehu, who confirmed the attack in a telephone conversation with The ICIR, said the reported figures were incorrect.
According to Shehu, only ‘over 30’ villagers were killed when terrorists invaded the town.
The attack, which took place on Thursday, was among the latest in a series of deadly attacks and mass kidnappings in Nigeria in recent months.
BBC Hausa Service had earlier reported how gunmen suspected to be terrorists invaded the community around 6:00 pm on Thursday and killed 54 people.
According to an eyewitness spoken to by the BBC, the terrorists rustled cows and looted many shops in the village.
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The eyewitness added that the gunmen also attacked neighbouring villages of Maganya and Jinkirawa after the incident.
He said: “They killed 54 people, all of who are males. Right now, there are no people to perform funeral service for the deceased because the village has been deserted. We are presently conveying the corpses of the deceased to the palace of Emir of Zurmi where the funeral will be held.”
NAN had also reported from some eyewitnesses in the village that the gunmen invaded the village on Thursday afternoon, speaking in foreign languages and shooting at anyone trying to escape the attack.
One of the villagers, who gave his name as Lawali, said 67 bodies were recovered within the village while 26 others were picked up at different locations on the outskirts of the village.
It was also reported that several others were wounded.
NAN also reported that Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle, on Friday, called on the people of the state to rise and defend their communities against attacks.
Zamfara, in recent years, has recorded series of attacks by gunmen suspected to be bandits and terrorists, which had resulted in the death of several people.
The state was described as the epicentre of banditry in Northern Nigeria by the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme Usman Yusuf, in a live webinar organised by The ICIR.
However, the attacks have been condemned by Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari, who described them as ‘insane’ and warned that the Federal Government had the capacity to crush those promoting insecurity in Nigeria.
In an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Buhari noted that the situation was giving him concerns. He further observed that the people of the North-West were suffering a lot of casualties as a result of the attacks.
A journalist Yusuf Anka, who has been reporting on happenings in Zamfara State, in a series of tweets shared on his Twitter handle, said that more than 150 people had been killed in the last seven days in the state.
This is a ward in Kaura General Hospital Zamfara a whole room filled with patients with bullet wounds At atleast 150 people have been killed within the last 7 days, 60 Zamfara women are still with Bandits. No region deserves to march in displeasure than the North #June12thProtest pic.twitter.com/fFoVM0mcCw
— Yusuf Anka (@ankaboy) June 12, 2021
Residents of kadawa wanted to convey at least 57 dead bodies to Zurmi to show the government.
According to a resident"we wanted to show those who keep telling us farming will be smooth" they were convinced by elders to burry and grief in silence because nothing will be done.— Yusuf Anka (@ankaboy) June 11, 2021
These are some of the 50 people killed today in Zurmi. This glance has become a daily one for most of our communities. If you are still in your political correctness that d situation has improved from 2018 fact & figures say otherwise the situation is more brutal than ever before pic.twitter.com/iEnFvrYTm5
— Yusuf Anka (@ankaboy) June 11, 2021
Olayinka works with The ICIR as the Social Media Manager, Reporter and Fact-checker. You can shoot him an email via shehuolayinka@gmail.com. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @BelloYinka72