Bandit attacks on rural communities in Zamfara State have taken another dimension as the hoodlums now concentrate in raping married women and girls in their family homes, Igbere TV has learnt.
This came on a day suspected bandits arrested by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC and personnel of the 176 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army, told their interrogators that they had sponsors.
This is even as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, yesterday placed a N20 million bounty on three notorious kidnappers terrorising the territory.
The bandits also killed locals and committed other obnoxious crimes in Kalgon Kunci village of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, according to a local who pleaded anonymity.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored in Kaduna yesterday, a resident of the area alleged that the situation had made 70% of the villagers to relocate to other places.
“Previously the bandits would come to our community, humiliate us, rustle our animals and abduct people for ransom. Now, they come in broad daylight and remain till midnight.”
They will be dressed in uniform carrying weapons. I swear, it has reached a level that they would enter any house they liked and rape women.
If any woman resists them, they would abduct her, do whatsoever they want with her in the bush and bring her back after two, three or four days,’’ said the resident who pleaded anonymity.
He said for over 10 years, no single policeman was deployed to the area, a situation that allowed the bandits to humiliate members of the community.
“We are now under the control of these bandits. During the harvest season, they asked us to give them N15 million before we can harvest our farm produce. All households contributed and we gave them the money.”
“Three days after, they stopped us from harvesting and set our farm produce on fire,” he lamented.
He alleged that they cried to the authorities to come to their rescue to no avail, adding that this has forced majority of the people to relocate.
“Whoever has a place to run has left. People are leaving Kuncin Kalgo on daily basis,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the Zamfara State Governmernt said it is taking appropriate steps towards putting an end to the menace.
Spokesman of the governor of the state, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said yesterday: “The situation is worrisome and government is taking the right step to bring an end to it.
Not only in that community, but also to bring a lasting end to this crisis by Almighty Allah’s grace.
