Zamfara community fights back

Residents of Birnin Tudu community in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State said they killed more than 30 bandits during a three-day confrontation after armed men invaded the community.

The residents said the attackers, who reportedly arrived in their hundreds on motorcycles, surrounded the village and opened fire.

Speaking to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, a resident said the attackers took the community by surprise after locals had relaxed their usual security vigilance.

“What happened in Birnin Tudu over the last three days was alarming. The bandits unexpectedly surrounded our village. We have always remained vigilant and defended ourselves, but this time, we thought everything was under control,” he said.

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The resident said the attackers arrived at about 10am on Tuesday when some villagers had gone to their farms to harvest crops.

“Before we realised what was happening, the bandits had surrounded the village from all directions. They were conveying three people on each motorcycle. There were more than 100 motorcycles, and I personally counted 71 from where I was hiding,” he said.

According to him, the attackers entered the community, shooting sporadically, breaking into shops and looting goods. He said the residents decided to confront them rather than flee their homes.

“We thank God that some of our people were ready to defend the community. We confronted them because we realised that fleeing our homes and becoming IDPs would be a disgrace to us,” he said.

The resident said the confrontation resulted in the deaths of three villagers, while three others sustained fractures and another person suffered a gunshot wound.

He added that the bandits returned for a second confrontation while residents were distributing batteries for torch lights.

“We confronted them again and eventually chased them out of the village towards the eastern part. They were in their hundreds and were all armed,” he said.

He added that the attackers succeeded in taking cattle rustled from neighbouring communities but did not steal any livestock from Birnin Tudu.

Another resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers operated in three groups.

He said the first group comprised more than 71 motorcycles, with three people riding on each, while the second group moved with the rustled cattle. A third group followed behind.

The resident said the attackers used communication devices to contact their colleagues scattered in the surrounding bushes, asking them to regroup.

He claimed that the villagers initially counted 11 bandits killed during the confrontation but were prevented by the assailants from recovering more weapons when another group of armed men launched a fresh attack.

“We killed 11 bandits, and while we were trying to seize their rifles, another group attacked us again. That prevented us from recovering more weapons that we could have used to defend ourselves,” he said.

The resident further disclosed that the community received intelligence on Thursday morning that the bandits were approaching from the western side, prompting villagers and local vigilantes to prepare for another confrontation.

He said the residents also received reports that the attackers had rustled cattle from Sabon Garin Kaddagi village and were moving towards a forest known as Kwartaga.

According to him, local vigilantes in the area confirmed sighting the bandits and reportedly lay in ambush to prevent them from entering the community.

The resident said subsequent information indicated that the number of bandits killed in the clashes had risen to more than 30.

He added that, apart from the three villagers killed inside Birnin Tudu, another person was reportedly killed outside the community, while one other death was reported in Dantsullutu.

The resident also recounted the account of a villager who allegedly escaped from the bandits’ captivity and returned home.

According to him, the escapee said he overheard a bandit leader reprimanding his men over the attack on Birnin Tudu, claiming that more than 30 of their colleagues had been killed.

The resident said the captive escaped after being ordered to help push a motorcycle belonging to one of the bandits. After the motorcycle started, he reportedly moved away, ran into tall crops and eventually made his way home.

The residents also dismissed reports that the community had been attacked by a bandit leader identified as Gwaska because it refused to allow him to mine gold in the area.

“That report is completely false. We are still in our community, and no bandit leader can force us to abandon our homes. We are determined to confront them and defend ourselves,” one resident said.

He added that people remained in the village and had resolved not to flee despite the attacks.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident and said the command had intensified security measures to protect the community.

“The incident occurred, and we have intensified efforts to ensure that the community receives adequate police support,” Abubakar said.

Daily Trust gathered that Zamfara State has two villages bearing Birnin Tudu, one in Anka LGA and the other one in Gummi LGA.

One of the village heads of Birnin Tudu of Anka LGA told Daily Trust that nothing has happened in the village.

The Zamfara Police Command also debunked the media reports on an attack on Birnin Tudu in Anka LGA for not mining gold for a bandit Kingpin.

“Nothing of such has happened in Birnin Tudu village in Anka LGA and the village was not attacked,” Yazid confirmed.

Vigilantes seek security support

The vigilante commander in Birnin Tudu village in Gummi LGA, Bello Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karo Birnin Tudu, has called on security agencies and the local government council to provide additional security support and equipment following the three-day confrontation with bandits.

Abubakar said the villagers had received intelligence about the movement of a large group of bandits towards their community since Monday, but the attackers did not strike until Tuesday morning, when most residents had gone to their farms.

“We had privileged information about the movement of the bandits since Monday. We learnt that a large group of them was moving towards our village across the river, but they did not attack until Tuesday morning, when most of our people had gone to their farms,” he said.

The vigilante commander recalled that fewer than 10 villagers were available to guard the community when they received information that the bandits were approaching.

He further explained that the villagers suspected that an informant had leaked their plans and the location of their ambush to the bandits, forcing the attackers to change their direction of movement.

According to him, the bandits entered the village through the eastern side, avoiding the villagers’ blockade, before splitting into two groups. One group moved towards Koga village, while the other headed for Hishi village, he added.

Abubakar said the movement of the attackers allowed the villagers to regroup and block all the entrances to their community.

“Whenever we hear gunshots, we rush to that location to reinforce our people,” he said.

He recalled that the bandits had last attacked the community about two years ago, when the villagers claimed to have killed more than 15 of them.

“They attacked us about two years ago, and we killed more than 15 of them. Their corpses were later found in the bushes of neighbouring villages, and we did not lose anybody on our side,” he said.

The vigilante commander appealed to security agencies to come to the community’s aid by deploying security personnel and providing an armoured vehicle to support the villagers.

“We know there will be a reprisal and we are ready to confront them. However, we need the government to support us with an armoured vehicle and security personnel to strengthen our capacity,” he said.

He also appealed to the chairman of Gummi Local Government Area, Aminu Falale, to provide additional equipment to support the villagers, saying they had exhausted much of their resources during the three-day confrontation.

“We need more ammunition, gunpowder, torchlights and guns. Our equipment has run low because we spent three days confronting the bandits,” he pleaded.

When contacted, the local government chairman, Falale declined to comment on the issue over the telephone, insisting that the reporter meet him in person.

“I cannot speak to you over the telephone. Just find time to come and meet me physically for a proper introduction,” Falale said.

He, however, ended the call after our correspondent requested an appointment.

Efforts to reach the member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly representing the constituency, Adamu Aliyu Gazura, were unsuccessful as his telephone numbers were not reachable.

Retired military officer calls for reinforcement

Meanwhile, a retired military officer and security expert, Bello Muhammad Bakyasuwa Maradun, has urged the state government to urgently strengthen security in Birnin Tudu.

Maradun, a former commandant of Anti-Thuggery in Zamfara, warned that the community could face reprisals and called on the government to deploy additional security personnel to protect residents and prevent further violence.

He commended the villagers for their courage and determination to defend their community, describing their resistance as a demonstration of their resolve to protect their lives, dignity and rights amid persistent insecurity.

The retired officer said the residents’ ability to confront the armed men for three consecutive days highlighted the importance of community participation in addressing insecurity. He, however, stressed that the government must not leave the villagers to defend themselves without adequate protection and support from security agencies.

Maradun also called for stronger community-based security arrangements, including intelligence-sharing, surveillance equipment and other lawful measures to enable residents to protect themselves.

He said any provision of weapons to community members must comply with the law and be subject to appropriate supervision to prevent the proliferation of arms and further insecurity.

According to him, the development could weaken the ability of bandits to intimidate rural communities if residents’ determination was sustained and supported by effective security operations.

He added that the experience could encourage other communities to cooperate more closely with security agencies in confronting criminal activities.

However, the security expert cautioned that the reported killings of bandits should not be taken as evidence that the armed groups had been defeated. He stressed that the possibility of retaliation made immediate security intervention necessary.

He urged the government and security agencies to translate the villagers’ courage and sacrifice into concrete measures to protect lives, restore public confidence and ensure lasting peace in Zamfara State.