A fresh attack by rampaging terrorists wreaking havoc in Nigeria’s northern region has claimed the lives of twelve family members in Zamfara State.
The family members were burned to death after the terrorists set their room ablaze in Gidan Taba village of Maradun Local Government in the North West State.
The attack happened on Saturday night when the terrorists attacked Dosara Birnin Kaya Ward and targeted the family of one Mallam Muhammadu Sani.
The family members were said to have hidden in their room and locked themselves in to avoid being abducted by the terrorists.
The terrorists reportedly found out they were inside and ordered them to open the door. They, however, ignored the order, and the terrorists set the room on fire.
The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Sanusi Ahmed Dosara, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate and inhuman.
“Really, what occurred in Gidan Taba village is heartbreaking and disheartening. A father, his wives and small children, 12 of them, were all killed by fire,” Dosara said.
He disclosed that the extreme heat of the inferno, rather than direct contact with the fire, killed the victims.
“The bandits set the room ablaze. They were not burnt because the fire engulfed the roof, but the horrible heat resulted in their death,” he said.
Dosara also confirmed that the attackers abducted many residents during the invasion, but the local vigilantes reportedly rescued some of the victims after exchanging gunfire with the bandits.
“It has been confirmed to me by one of the vigilantes that the bandits abducted people, but they blocked them and secured the release of some after an exchange of gunfire,” he said.
The chairman said he could not ascertain the exact number of people abducted by the terrorists because of how volatile and dangerous the area is
“As of now, because the tension is high, we are yet to identify the actual number of people abducted, but later we will have the details,” he said.
He further disclosed that the bandits fired gunshots in different directions to confuse security operatives and hide their actual positions.
The council chairman said he had visited the nearest police mobile base to strengthen security cooperation and prevent another attack.
The 12 victims were buried on Sunday morning in accordance with Islamic rites
