MASSACRE/LAWLESSNESS IN ZURMI LOCAL GOVERNMENT:
GUNMEN Abducts 15 Married Women, Rape 10 Girls in Zamfara State…Kills 41 Innocent Civilians, Attacks Birane Village, 12 Houses Razed under the cover of Darkness
* How Herder in the bush with suspected Stolen Cattle, Sheep stirred crisis
* Unknown blood-thirsty gunmen brandishing A K 47 assault rifles, axes and sharp cutlasses invade homes, mobilise bandits for Attack
*“Police/Military and other sister agencies reacted by combing the bush and it’s environs to salvage the situation and discovered 18 dead bodies”-Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara police, Muhammad Shehu
* ‘My Administration strongly condemns Thursday’s massacre of innocent persons in Birane village, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State’-President Muhammadu BUHARI
BY MOHAMMED ALIYU/CRIME REPORTER, Zamfara State & ILEYA NURENI/STAFF WRITER, Abuja
IT WAS PANDEMONIUM, LAWLESSNESS, FEAR, ANXIETY AND PANIC in the odd hours of the night of last week Thursday, as peace exits the quite community of Zurmi local government in Zamfara State when bandits numbering 40 brandishing A K 47 assault rifles, axes and sharp cutlasses forcefully entered homes of the residents, abduct married women, rape innocent girls in front of their relatives, as the men were allegedly whipped, and mostly hacked to death.
There were cries, pains, scream for help from the raped 15 women and 10 girls abducted from their homes, yet no one came to their rescue. Aside being raped, they were humiliated, spat upon, ridiculed, may have been infected with various diseases and may eventually be pregnant. (Hauwa) One of the women who protested after been raped was hacked to her death for daring to look and confront her rapist to his face.
Eye witness account confided in our correspondents that no less than 12 houses in this community were set ablaze and burnt down completely. As at the last count, 41 innocent people were killed in Birane Village. To many, it was a bloody day with a traumatic experience that people in this village will not forget in a hurry.
Deeper, undercover investigation by our correspondents confirmed that on February 13, hunters from Birani Village of Zurmi Local Government Area intercepted and accosted a herder in the bush with some suspected stolen cattle and sheep. The herder then abandoned the animals and escaped into the bush, but unknown to the hunters, the cattle rustler went to Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State and mobilised bandits to attack the hunters.
Confirming these crises, Muhammad Shehu, Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara police in a press statement said: “On February 14, the bandits ambushed the hunters in the bush and there was a clash that led to fatality on both sides. Police/Military and other sister agencies reacted by combing the bush and it’s environs to salvage the situation and discovered 18 dead bodies. “It is believed that the bandits took away their own members that were killed. Meanwhile, bush combing is in progress so as to further profile the area.
“Mobile policemen/special forces and other security personnel from other sister security agencies have already been deployed to the area to restore peace and stability.
The spokesman also said that the command’s Intelligence Unit had already embarked on investigation to arrest the perpetrators of the attack. The attack comes a day after a senator from the state, Kabir Marafa, lamented the repeated mass killings by armed bandits in the state.
Senator Marafa, while calling for a Senate investigation, said hundreds of people have been killed and scores of women and girls raped by armed persons in the state.
There were contradicting reports on the number of the dead people as police claimed 18 people died, whereas eye witness confirmed 41 people actually died from the massacre.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has issued a strong order for men of Nigerian Army to immediately restore peace back to the Zamfara community as investigation is underway to find and apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
In a press statement released to journalists on behalf of President Buhari by Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), it reads that President Buhari strongly condemns Thursday’s massacre of innocent persons in Birane village, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
“The President commiserates with families of victims of the heinous and inhuman attacks on defenseless citizens which left many injured. President Buhari directs the Minister of Defence, Brigadier-General Mansur Dan Ali (Rtd) to proceed immediately to the state to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and report back.
“In addition, he directs security agencies to immediately mobilise and deploy their members to the vulnerable areas of the state, and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to face the full wrath of the law. The President assures the Zamfara State government, victims of the mayhem and residents in the state, that the Federal Government will continue do all it takes to support security agencies to secure lives and property, not only in the affected state but all parts of the country.
“President Buhari restates his administration’s determination to put an end to the spate of senseless spilling of innocent blood in parts of the country, and calls for restraint to allow the nation’s security apparatus to stem the undesirable trend. The President prays that almighty God will receive the souls of the departed, and comfort their families.”
Further investigation by our correspondents showed that the families of these rape victims have been sad, kept crying without stop, bearing in mind the fact that their breadwinners (husbands/fathers) had been killed by the night marauders.
From close look, it will take a long time for peace to finally return to this community as everyone in this village now lives in perennial fear, apprehension and anxiety. It remains to be seen how Nigerian army will apprehend the perpetrators in a bid to bring back law and order to Zamfara State.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EknIp4p5vk8
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