ZAMFARA, Nigeria – 22 farmers were reportedly massacred by suspected terrorists in Gidan-Goga community, Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, according to a high-ranking government official.
The attackers reportedly struck without warning, targeting the farmers as they worked on their fields.
“They (terrorists) attacked the farmers with sophisticated weapons riding on motorcycles when they were cultivating their farmlands last Wednesday with the intention of abducting some of them,” the official said in a telephone interview with ThisDay on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The onslaught was brutal and swift. As the farmers tried to flee the onslaught, the terrorists opened fire, leaving a gruesome scene behind.
“But having realized that the farmers started running helter-skelter, they began to shoot them one after the other and as I am talking to you now, we have 22 bodies who were brutally killed by the terrorists,” the source continued.
Some local villagers tried to confront the attackers but were overpowered, leaving some injured. The attack has left the community in fear and disarray.
Dozens of residents, particularly women and children, have fled their homes to seek refuge in neighboring communities believed to be safer.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident, stating that nine people were killed and five others injured according to their initial reports.
Authorities have since mobilized a combined anti-terrorist team to the area. “Normalcy has been restored in the area,” Abubakar said.
However, fear still grips the community, as the attackers allegedly threatened to return.
The government source pleaded for swift assistance: “Therefore, we are calling on all authorities concerned, especially the security agencies, to come to our aide as quickly as possible before the thing goes out of hand.”
The incident underscores the dire security situation in Zamfara State and Nigeria at large, as the government continues to grapple with an increasing wave of terrorist activities across the country.
