Bandits invade Defence Minister's hometown, kill 1, abduct scores

Bandits have wreaked havoc in Maradun town, the headquarters of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing one person and kidnapping scores of residents.

Maradun is the hometown of the Minister of State for Defence and former Governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle.

An indigene of the town Nura Maradun told Channels Television that the attackers invaded the town in the early hours of Friday, April 26, 2024.

Bearing sophisticated weapons, the bandits fired indiscriminately to scare residents before going from house to house to abduct the residents.

“They came in around 1 am and operated till 4 am unchallenged. They went on to search house by house looking for people to be kidnapped.

“From what I can confirm to you now, one person was killed, and about eight persons most women have been taken away. Some of the women kidnapped are daughters of the Emir’s brother,” he said.

As of the time of this report, police authorities are yet to comment on the incident.

Zamfara has been a hotbed for kidnappings, killings and other criminal activities by bandits and other criminal gangs operating in the North West.

Northern governors turn to US to solve security challenges

Pulse reports that 10 governors from the northern part of the country travelled to the United States to attend a lecture on how to secure the region.

The governors, drawn from the Northwest and North Central zones, attended a symposium on peace and security in Northern Nigeria organised by the Africa Centre at the United States Institute of Peace.