Gunmen suspected to be bandits in the early hours of Friday attacked Maru community in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing three villagers.
The bandits were said to have stormed the village and started shooting sporadically, causing panic among the villagers who started running helter skelter in a bid to save their lives.
An indigene of the town, Mohammed Bawa, disclosed that the Emir of Maru, Abubakar Maigari, managed to escape when the bandits invaded his palace, but one of his guards was killed on the spot while others were injured.
According to Bawa, the emir’s vehicles were also damaged due to several gunshots.
Bawa said, “The bandits invaded the Emir’s palace and opened fire indiscriminately in an attempt to kill the Emir, but he escaped.
“They killed one of the palace guards and damaged all the vehicles in that place.
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“The bandits also returned to the town last night, and when they could not see the Emir again, they moved from house to house looking for him, and in the process, they killed four people.
“Their funeral prayers have been conducted today, Friday, according to Islamic injunction.”
Following the incessant attacks, the state has shut a popular market, Maru.
Announcing this, the state commissioner for information, Munnir Haidara, said, “Following the security situation in Maru town, the state government has closed down the Maru market until the security situation is improved.
“The Executive Governor of the State, Dauda Lawal, is sympathising with the families of those who lost their lives during the bandit attack.”
The State Police Command has not confirmed the incident as of the time of filing this report but efforts to get the reaction of the spokesman, ASP Yazid Abdulahi, were not successful as he did not respond to phone calls.
Recall that early this year, a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, and two other policemen were killed by bandits in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.