In an ambush by bandits in Bagega, a mining community in Zamfara State, no less than 50 individuals—including a district head, women, and children—were reportedly taken hostage. Three additional people were reportedly slain in the raid.
The gunmen who rode motorbikes entered the community on Tuesday early, fired randomly, and set a number of homes on fire, according to some residents who confirmed the incident’s veracity to reporters.
Abubakar Uba, the local chief who confirmed the raid, told Reuters that the gunmen first abducted the district chief in the hamlet before abducting scores of other people.
“They invaded the area on dozens of motorcycles, and the district chief’s home was their first stop. Before they entered the town and caused additional destruction, a couple of them took him and three members of his family away, according to Uba.
Yazid Abubakar, the state police spokesperson, would not answer calls or messages left on his phone as of the time this article was filed, making any attempts to contact him about his remarks on the attack futile.