Gusau, Zamfara State – At least 12 people have been confirmed dead and an unspecified number abducted following a coordinated reprisal attack by gunmen on several villages in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday, May 5, around 1:30 p.m., targeted seven communities in the Dankurmi district—namely Zamfarawa, Kurukuru, Dogon Daji, Dan Hayin Zamfarawa, Tungar Zabo, Burmukai, and Dambawa.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the assault was in retaliation for a recent military operation that dismantled a key bandit camp in the Dankurmi forest.
Two days earlier, on May 3, the Nigerian Army had announced that troops of 1 Brigade neutralised five notorious bandit kingpins during a special operation in Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda Local Government Areas. The slain kingpins were identified as Auta Jijji, Dankali, Sagidi, Kachallah Rijaji, and Kachallah Suza.
The military described the operation as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorist networks and restore peace in the state.
Following Sunday’s reprisal attack, troops were reportedly deployed to the affected areas and are conducting search-and-rescue operations in an effort to recover the abducted victims and restore order.
Security agencies have yet to release an official statement on the number of abductees or provide updated casualty figures as of press time.
