Over 40 residents have reportedly been abducted by bandits in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State following a series of attacks over the past two weeks.
A resident of Maru town, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi, disclosed the development in a telephone interview on Thursday, expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in the area.
According to Abdullahi, the bandits carried out multiple attacks, including a recent house-to-house raid in Maru town, where seven persons were abducted, starting from the Emir’s palace area.
“Our major challenge is the presence of informants collaborating with the bandits. Most of the victims are prominent individuals in the community,” he said, adding that over 40 kidnapped victims are currently being held in bandit camps.
Abdullahi attributed the attacks to bandits operating from camps located behind Bakalori Dam, known as Bayan Ruwa, in Maradun Local Government Area. He called on the federal and state governments to urgently deploy more security personnel to dislodge the criminals and restore peace.
Another resident, Usman Abubakar, described Maru Local Government as a “colony of banditry,” noting that the attacks have become widespread across the area.
“Initially, Dansadau district was the epicenter of banditry in the local government, but now, it has spread to all parts of the State, particularly Maru,” Abubakar said.
He also recalled the killing of several police officers, including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in Maru town a few months ago.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Zamfara State Police Command on the recent abductions were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
