Suspected armed bandits were said to have killed at least 22 people in Malikawa village, Gidan Goga district in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on Monday.

Gidan Goga district had witnessed series of attacks by motor bike riding gangs of armed men in the past.

Armed bandits and cattle rustlers had, between May and July this year, killed about 60 persons at seven villages in the district.

According to Daily Trust report, dozens of unidentified gunmen arrived the district on motorbikes firing at them.

“I was coming back from farm around 4:00 pm, I decided to take bath, while in the bathroom I heard people screaming for help, I came out of the bathroom and found the whole community in pandemonium”

“Everyone was running to different direction with children crying for help. I learnt that we were under siege as gunshots rented the air. They were shooting people dead as they chased them on motorcycles”

“Before I even looked for a way to escape, the armed men had already arrived at the door step of my residence. How I escaped remains a mystery to me,” a resident said.

“When the six persons were being chased on motorbikes by the armed bandits, the residents too decided to bury themselves in a stock file of corn stalks, unknown to them that they were seen by the attackers. They (attackers) decided to torch the stalks burning all the people inside”

“As I’m talking to you, I’m at the Boko village in search of missing children. We have not seen them since then and those who died had already been buried,” he added.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Muhammad Shehu could not be reached for comment.

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report

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