Armed bandits have abducted more than 70 residents and killed an Army officer and a police officer during a deadly attack on Kasuwar Daji District in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, despite resistance from security forces.
The attack, which occurred at about 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, saw the heavily armed assailants storm the community in large numbers, firing sporadically and reportedly moving from house to house in search of specific victims before fleeing into a nearby forest with scores of abducted residents.
A survivor, Inuwa Giranto, said the attackers appeared to have prior knowledge of their targets, mentioning the names of victims and identifying their homes during the operation.
According to him, troops stationed in the area, alongside police personnel and local vigilantes, engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle but were overwhelmed by the attackers' numerical strength and superior firepower.
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"To our knowledge, the officer in charge of the military base called for reinforcement before the bandits retreated into the forest with an unidentified number of abducted residents," Giranto said.
He described the incident as one of the worst attacks on the community, saying terrified women and children screamed for help while residents fled for safety.
"It was like the end of the world. The entire community was thrown into chaos as helpless women and children cried for help, while even sheep and goats were bleating in fear," he said.
Confirming the attack, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 8 Division Nigerian Army and Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, said terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Kasuwar Daji at approximately 1:40 a.m. but were repelled by alert troops.
He said the soldiers responded with coordinated and overwhelming firepower, inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers and forcing them to retreat.
Osoba disclosed that reinforcements immediately pursued the fleeing terrorists, leading to the rescue of nine abducted civilians.
He confirmed that one Army officer and one police officer were killed during the fierce exchange of fire, while two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds and were airlifted for advanced medical treatment. The injured personnel, he said, remain in stable condition.
According to the Army spokesman, troops have secured the area and are conducting exploitation operations to determine the full extent of the terrorists' losses and restore normalcy.
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Osoba also dismissed reports circulating online that six security personnel were killed, insisting that only one Army officer and one police officer lost their lives during the operation.
He reaffirmed that Operation FANSAN YAMMA would sustain offensive operations against terrorist groups until lasting peace and security are restored across the North-West.
While the Army did not specify the total number of civilians abducted, residents insisted that more than 70 people were taken away during the raid.
