LEADERSHIP gathered that the gunmen had stormed the village in an area believed to be prone to crime – Dansadau in Maru local government area of Zamfara State.
According to eyewitnesses, the criminals were carrying guns and other dangerous weapons when they entered the village, early Tuesday morning, and opened fire from different directions, calling on residents of the area to remain indoors but ensure that their money and other valuables were kept within reach.
The village head, identified as Alhaji Maiyara, had pleaded with the gunmen not to kill anybody but they continued with their onslaught.
A survivor, who identified himself as Sani Abdullahi, said the village head was killed instantly when they felt that he was becoming a nuisance to them with his endless begging.
“He was warned to keep off but he did not heed it. They fired shots from different places and they killed whoever dared to escape, and that was how they cut short many innocent lives,” he said.
According to Haruna Kabir, another survivor, when he heard gunshots from a far distance, he sensed that calamity was about to befall the community. He said he immediately took his wife and three of his children and escaped into a bush.
Another source said that the attackers struck probably because they learnt that the villagers had realised a lot of money from the sales of livestock and farm produce during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Another source who pleaded anonymity said the gunmen killed the village head and 16 others and equally burnt their bodies, but did not ask for a penny from their victims.
When the commissioner for information in the state, Malam Ibrahim Mohammed, was contacted to speak on behalf of the government, he was still in shock and could not speak audibly. Instead he was crying.
Dogon Dawa village in Birin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State was attacked in a similar way over two weeks ago, resulting in the death of over 24 villagers.
SOURCE: 31 October 2012.
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