There was tension in Zurmi town, the headquarters of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State as gunmen believed to be bandits unleashed mayhem on the community.
During the incident, which happened late Thursday, the bandits set ablaze four operational vehicles belonging to security operatives.
Speaking on the incident, a resident of the area, identified as Muhammad Zurmi, disclosed that the terrorists outnumbered security personnel.
“The bandits stormed the town around 4:00 pm on Tuesday with sophisticated weapons and attacked the military base and the police divisional headquarters. They set ablaze four operational vehicles of the military and the police,” he added.
In addition, the the resident disclosed that the bandits abducted an unspecified number of locals during the attack.
He said, “Most residents of Zurmi town have fled to Dauran and Kaura Namoda.
“Already, troops have been reinforced to the area and some of them were in the forest to trace the bandits’ enclaves.
“We are living in fear; these terrorists abducted over 10 people during last Tuesday’s attack on Zurmi town, including a nursing mother, her husband and their baby.”
Zurmi appealed to the federal and the Zamfara State governments to come to their rescue, pointing out that the bandits threatened to continue attacking them no matter the security operatives’ intervention.
However, all efforts to get response from the military, under operations Hadarin Daji and the Zamfara State police command spokesman, ASP Yazeed Abubakar proved unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 12 persons were confirmed dead on Thursday while 30 others sustained injuries in an accident involving a truck at the Hawan-Kibo community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
It was gathered that the articulated vehicle was loaded with bags of grains and human beings and was descending a hill on the dilapidated road when it crashed into a ditch in the afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said when the trailer which was moving out of Jos crashed, it spilled its contents in the ditch, leaving many of the victims dead on the spot.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Plateau State, Mr Godwin Alphonsus, confirmed the accident saying, “It was a lone crash. The trailer was carrying bags of grains and human beings. It had a brake failure and crashed into a ditch while ascending a hill. The accident happened in the afternoon on Thursday.
“Since then, our men in Hawan-Kibo have been trying to rescue the victims. From the records so far, 11 persons died on the spot while 30 persons have been rescued and taken to the hospital. Only this evening, I learnt that one of the injured victims has also given up at Gidan Way community bringing the number of the deceased persons to 12.”