Twelve family members killed as bandits torch Zamfara village home

Suspected Lakurawa bandits have burnt 12 members of the same family to death and abducted an unspecified number of residents during an attack on Gidan Taba village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, local sources said.

Our Correspondent gathered that the attack occurred on Saturday night in the Gidan Taba community, Dosara Birnin Kaya Ward, in the Maradun council area of the state. The source said the assailants reportedly stormed the community and targeted the family of one Mallam Muhammadu Sani, and an unspecified number were said to have been abducted.

According to local sources, the victims were identified as Sani Ɗanwawo and 12 members of his family. The source further said the attackers locked all 13 family members inside a room before setting the house on fire, leaving none of them alive.

Funeral prayers held as details emerge

Local leader Dosara led the funeral prayers for the deceased at Gidan Taba village on Sunday.

“Really, what occurred in Gidan Taba village is heartbreaking and disheartening. A father, his wives and small children, 12 of them, were all killed by fire,” Dosara said.

He explained that the victims were not directly burnt by the flames but died from the intense heat after the bandits set their room ablaze.

“The bandits set the room ablaze. They were not burnt because the fire engulfed the roofing; it was a sad day for the entire community,” he lamented.

Abductions and ongoing community tension

The source noted that several other residents were abducted during the attack. Still, he said local vigilantes managed to secure the release of some of the victims after a gun duel with the assailants.

The source explained that the exact number of those abducted was yet to be established because of the tense situation in the community.

“It has been confirmed to me by one of the vigilantes that the bandits abducted some people, but their numbers are yet to be confirmed,” another source said.