Tension as gunmen abduct over 50 women, children

Gunmen have kidnapped more than 50 women and children during a pre-dawn attack on Kakin Dawa, a village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the abductions, which occurred on Sunday, December 8, 2024. Speaking on Tuesday, December 10, police officials assured that security operatives had been deployed to the area to tackle the situation and secure the victims’ release.

Eyewitness accounts painted a grim picture of the raid. Hassan Ya’u, a resident who escaped the attack, said the gunmen arrived at about 1:30 a.m. on motorcycles, storming multiple homes and taking away dozens of women and children, including his younger sister.

“We later counted over 50 victims, comprising married women and girls,” Ya’u shared. He called on the federal and state governments to urgently deploy more soldiers and security personnel to confront the attackers.

Another villager, Abdulkadir Sadia, described the community’s anguish. “The entire village is in turmoil. We are waiting anxiously to hear the kidnappers’ demands for the release of our loved ones,” he said.

This incident is part of a disturbing pattern of insecurity in Zamfara State, where bandits have terrorized rural communities. Local authorities and residents are urging swift and decisive government action to address the escalating crisis.