Bandits on rampage in Zungeru communities, kill 15, kidnapped monarch’s 2 wives

Gun men suspected to be bandits on Wednesday were on rampage in Zungeru Communities in Wushishi Local Government Area in Niger State killing 15 persons, injured nine, while dozens were abducted.

The gun men were said to have invaded the ancient town in their large numbers on motorcycles numbering 40 with each carrying 3 persons and started shooting sporadically while the panicked residents scampered for safety.

Eye witness said the gun men were heavily armed to teeth wielding sophisticated weapons such as Ak47, machine guns and earth rockets, which for two hours they killed 15 persons injured nine and unconfirmed number of residents were abducted.

CAPITAL POST gathered that the armed bandits invaded the town at 8.35 pm Wednesday, and held the community hostages for hours without any help from security agencies.

A resident of Zungeru, who don’t want his name in print confirmed CAPITAL POST that the gun men came in their large numbers on motorcycles numbering 40.

“On their arrival into the town, they started shooting spadorically to scare people as we started scampering for our lives. In the process of running the gun men succeeded in killing 15 persons on the spot while 9 others sustained different degree of gun wood and the numbers of abducted people could not be ascertained.”

He disclosed that those injured were rushed to IBB specialist Hospital in Minna were they are currently on admission.

Zungeru town, has come under heavy seige of the activities of armed bandits in the last seven months as in the early May, the village head of the town Alhaji Adamu Madaki Zungeru, and two of his wives were kidnapped by the bandits who stormed his palace and took them away.

It was gathered that the sum of N20 milion was paid as ransom before they regained their freedom.
They spend over two Months in their in a deep forest some where along Birnigwari in Kaduna State.

Also, some heavily armed men suspected to be armed bandits had on the 29 of October, kidnapped the parmanent secretary in the state Ministry of Transport Dr. Garba Ibrahim Musa and his son while on their farm in Zungeru.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Monday Kuryas could not be reached for comment as several calls on his line also could not be reach.

Another resident and a youth leader in Zungeru, Alhaji Jibrin who confirmed the report in a telephone interview with CAPITAL POST disclosed that the affected communities are within Zungeru and not the township.

He confirmed that the gun men seriously wrecked the affected communities as some of the locals were yet to be located since the incidence.

He appealed to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Monday Kuryas to as a matter of urgency deploy his men to the affected communities to safeguard their lives and property as they now live in perpetual fear and apprehension of the attack on them by the armed bandits.