Gunmen kill 23 in Zamfara community

Posted by admin State News, Zamfara Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

IT was just one attack apparently. But at the end of it, a community in Zamfara State lost 23 people to gunmen. The attackers who were about 70 raided Ligyado village in Maru Local Council of the state with offensive weapons like AK47 rifles, daggers, machetes and sticks.

The sad development was the second of its kind within the last two months when a similar attack took place in Guru and Tungar villages of the same Maru Local Council.

Reports from the villages reaching The Guardian in Gusau, the state capital, indicated that the recent attack happened around 5.00 a.m. on Saturday morning when the suspected hoodlums stormed the small village.

Four people were hospitalized at the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, following serious injuries they sustained as a result of the attack.

According to a source, the attackers went from house to house killing and maiming innocent souls. Most of those that were killed were women and children.

The source maintained that the attack could not be unconnected with the fact that the villagers were alleged to have supported their vigilante group to flush out suspected armed robbers in the village.

The source further stated that the recent attack was deadlier because of the number of those that were involved in the dastardly act.

“About 70 hoodlums stormed the small village pretending to be visitors while they shot at any person that came to receive them, ” the source said.

As at the time of filing this report, some of the bodies were still in the morgue at the Federal Medical Centre.

When contacted, the state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Muhammad Tambari Yabo, confirmed the incident but added that security had been beefed up in the community. The commissioner said that no arrest had been made.

Meanwhile, state governors and clerics have charted a path to stability in the nation. On his part, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola allayed the fears of the citizens over the rising attacks on banks by armed bandits in the state. He said that his administration had ordered five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) to strengthen the police effort in fighting crime in the state.

He also said that a plan was underway for the setting up of a Security Trust Fund (STF) through which all security agencies in the state would be assisted to enhance their performance.

Also, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State yesterday assured the people of his administration’s resolve to return the state to the path of development, tackle the age-long decadence and restore the state to its pace-setting status.

Ajimobi in a state-wide broadcast to mark the nation’s 51st independence anniversary, also called for concerted efforts from all Nigerians to combat violence and crimes in the country.

“Most fundamentally, let us combat the demon of violence and crimes that is posturing as part of our clime. We must wean our country from the hands of this unwholesome tag that is a major disincentive to growth and development,’’ he said.

Although the governor noted that the country’s democratic path was not as smooth as was envisaged, he said that the challenges, which confronted the country at the return to democratic rule, were being tackled.

In the same vein, the state government has declared that the administration possesses the necessary political will to bring about the desired progress and development.

The Deputy-Governor, Moses Alake-Adeyemo who led other top government officials to the Bodija Estate Baptist Church in Ibadan for a thanksgiving service in commemoration of the nation’s independence anniversary said the new administration was aware of the need to bring about change in the state and would not shy away from the sacred duty of leaving the state better than it met it.

He remarked that the challenges of insecurity being faced in the country had to do with political and religious intolerance as well as tribal sentiments.

Also in Ibadan, the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kaduna and Episcopal Chairman, National Missionary Council of Nigeria, Most. Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso called for greater commitment from public office holders and better utilization of the country’s resources to foster economic development.

He said under-development persisted because elected officials had failed Nigerians in their call to service.

Bishop Ndagoso spoke during a briefing with journalists in Ibadan to mark the conference of the pontifical mission societies of Nigeria.

“We cannot say nothing has happened in the past 51 years, a lot has changed if we want to be honest with ourselves. But my personal problem is that given the resources available in this country both human and material, I think we should be far ahead of where we are presently,” he said.

The Archbishop of Ibadan Diocese, Dr. Alaba Job who also reiterated the need for nationalism, emphasised the need for public officials to be focused.

“Those who rule us, the political parties and leaders should be more focused. They should have targets. Japan, China even Germany, were all in worse situations than us after the civil war, but they went back, they were focused. At the moment we are not focused .We have the resources,” he said.

Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, who spoke on the state of security of the nation urged government’s commitment in its effort to allay the fears of Nigerians stemming from recent Boko Haram insurgency.

“So far, Boko Haram has succeeded in instilling fear in the public. The President said yesterday (Saturday) in his speech that there are strategies in place to deal with this problem. The best we can do is to, at least, believe and encourage the government to do more because the responsibility for our security is in the hands of government. That is the basis of the legitimacy of any and every government.”

He enjoined Nigerian to remain brave and appealed to journalists to be more responsible in their reporting.

“We must all conquer fear and not let ourselves be sucked into a bottomless pit. Those in the media must also be more circumspect. The more drama you employ in your reporting, the more frightened people get,” he said.

-Guardia nwp_posts