Zamfara Attack: 42 killed, Over 100 people missing, Villages Razed Down

On Friday, armed bandits killed at least 42 people by attacking 18 villages in Mashema, Kwashabawa and Birane districts in the Zurmi local government area in Zamfara state.

According to sources, the death toll could reach 100, with hundreds of people reported missing.

DAILY NIGERIAN has learned that many villages have been razed by the attackers.

A witness who survived the attack, Lawwali Mashema, said that thousands of residents displaced by the attack fled to the town of Zurmi, about 50 kilometers from their communities.

He said that many other survivors seek refuge in the state of Katsina, while others in the Republic of Niger.

"Women, children and the elderly have died en route to find refuge in the city of Zurmi, while many others have been seen in a devastating state," he said.

Zamfara's deputy governor, Ibrahim Wakkala, described the attack as a barbarian during a visit to the town of Zurmi. Mr. Wakkala, who represented the governor, promised to take drastic action on the matter.

The chairman of the state's Damage and Relief Committee, who is the president of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Sanusi Rikiji, called for improving security in the region.

State police spokesman Mohammed Shehu did not respond to a journalist's call.