Suspected terrorists on Friday, invaded a village in Zamfara State called Mutunji, in Maru Local Government Area and abducted a large number of residents for allegedly failing to pay tax.
The Non-State Armed Group (NSAG) struck the community on motorcycles after residents rounded up their Isha’i prayer on Friday night, some residents who escaped said.
The assailants reportedly have some level of dominance in the affected village and other neighbouring communities where they allegedly impose a collective tax on residents who pay to avoid being attacked.
The recent attack in Mutunji, had the NSAG allegedly demand huge ransom for the release of the abducted victims.
Residents who escaped being abducted told news agencies that the assailants demanded N50 million ransom.
The State Police Command said Mutunji is no longer under its control but the military.
“The area is no longer under the police, but the military, so we cannot speak authoritatively on what happens in Mutunji,” Yazid Abubakar, spokesperson of the Zamfara Police Command told THE WHISTLER on Saturday.
Terrorists’ activities in Mutunji and other communities in the Maru LGA of the state date back to the former Governor of the state, Bello Matawalle. The era witnessed onslaughts against the NSAG by troops of Operation Hadarin Daji.
In October, Zamfara ranked the second highest state with a record of fatalities, with no fewer than 262 people reportedly killed by NSAG, according to Beacon Consulting, a security and risk assessment organisation.
The state also recorded no fewer than 62 abduction cases in October.
The state government, under the leadership of Dauda Lawal, has continuously reiterated its commitment to curb the menace of banditry in the state while emphasising its stance on zero negotiation with NSAG terrorising the state.
