At least five people have been reportedly killed and scores abducted in the Kaura Namoda local government area of Zamfara State.

According to locals, bandits raided 16 villages across the local government between Saturday and Sunday.

The gunmen kidnapped more than 50 people in a mass abduction, according to a private conflict monitoring report created for the United Nations and seen by AFP yesterday.

“Armed bandits targeted the village of Sabon Garin Damri in Zamfara State on Friday, the report said, the latest attack in a region where residents in rural hinterlands have long suffered from gangs who kidnap for ransom, loot villages and demand taxes,” it added.

The report said this was the first “mass capture” incident in Bakura local government area this year, “the recent trend of mass captures in Zamfara has been concerning,” noting “a shift in bandit strategy towards more large-scale attacks in northern Zamfara.”

A local, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Yesterday (Saturday), the armed bandits invaded eight villages comprising Dan İsa, Kyatawa, Tudu, Gidan Haruna, Tsunburburawa, Gidan Juli, Tokarawa and Gidan Bako. They killed one person in Gidan Haruna and kidnapped eight women.

“Also, today (Sunday), the bandits invaded Kwalau village and killed four people: Abubakar, Murtala, Aminu and Bello, while Ashafa sustained gun wounds in his chest and jaw. The injured person was rushed to Kaura Namoda General Hospital for treatment.

“What happened was that the bandits have turned Kwalau village into their passage whenever they are going for an operation. So, yesterday, they passed through the village in the night and raided eight villages around. While they were coming back from the operation, our vigilante operatives denied them access to pass through the village.”