A patient receiving medical treatment was among the abducted victims
Olayomi Koiki
ZAMFARA, Nigeria – At least ten people have been taken hostage by terrorists in an attack on Matusgi village, Talata Mafara Local Government Area, Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria, police said.
The terrorists, heavily armed with sophisticated weapons, launched a surprise attack on the community around 2am on Friday, firing indiscriminately, sources said.
Among those taken were a patient receiving medical treatment, who was abducted while still connected to an IV drip. The incident has left the community in a state of shock and fear, according to investigative news outlet, Sahara Reporters.
Although sources in the community said about 30 persons were kidnapped, the police disputed it, saying 10 persons were taken by the terrorists.
“They (terrorists) did not kill anyone during the attack. They only shot to scare us. They took about 30, including a woman and one sick man. We are yet to know their whereabouts. Everybody is scared,” Sahara Reporters quoted a source as saying.
The Zamfara State Police Command’s spokesman, Yezid Abubakar, said: “The attack is true. The bandits invaded the village on Friday morning, around 2:30am. They kidnapped 10 people and the police are already making tremendous efforts to rescue all of them unharmed.”
– Insecurity and violence in Nigeria –
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.