Terrorists Abduct 35 Residents During Attack In Zamfara

Residents of communities in Mafara and Maradun Local Government Areas of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, say 35 people were abducted by terrorists on Thursday. 

HumAngle gathered that terrorists launched an attack on Talata-Mafara town around 2:45 a.m., abducting 11 staff members of Triacta Company (a construction company) based in Mafara and staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

Lukman Aliyu-Mafara, a resident of the area, told our reporter that some of the houses in the area were also razed by the terrorists.

“They also injured a boy who was rushed to the General Hospital for treatment. The armed group operation covered almost half of the Talata-Mafara community.”

Kamal Alkali, a staff of Abdu Gusau Polytechnic said he narrowly escaped being shot.

“I reside in the Low-Cost area where the armed terrorists launched the attack. I narrowly escaped a bullet when they followed through our street. I lay down and sneaked my way into the car park area which gave me cover to run for my life.”

Four of the 12 persons were kidnapped at midnight, however, four escaped after hours of trekking in the forest.

Umar Kahinta, one of the escaped abductees said “We were pushed into the forest in a crowd of more than 47 farmers abducted from unknown places. After hours of trekking, four of us dodged and sneaked our way into the thick forest pretending to ease ourselves as we stayed to rest a bit.” 

Another attack was recorded in the Damaga village of the Maradun area, leading to the abduction of 23 persons kidnapped on their way to the farm.

The spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar confirmed the incidents.

“We received information of the attack in Maradun and Marafa at the headquarters. That is why we promptly mobilized our team for ensuring the protection of life and properties in all the areas,” he said.

He did not respond to questions seeking information on the number of residents kidnapped during the attack.