Terrorists' attack: 26 villagers die in boat accident in Zamfara

No fewer than 26 people have reported dead in a boat accident when they were trying to escape terrorists' attack in Zamfara state.

How it happened: The incident occured in Birnin-waje village of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

An indigene of the village, Musa Sani, confirmed to The Punch, that the incident happened after the village came under terrorists' attack.

Sani said, although the victims had managed to escape into the river, the terrorists arrived at the scene and opened fire, causing the boat to capsize, killing 26 people.

He further explained that the terrorists have also kidnapped 27 people in surrounding villages of Rugaje, Danzamau, and Maikulki.

Sani's word: “The victims who were mostly women and children were in a boat trying to escape the bandits attack but unfortunately the boat capsized, killing 21 children and five women.”

“As I am talking to you now, we have recovered their dead bodies and we will soon bury them.

“They kidnapped 12 in Rugaje, nine in Danzamau and six in Maikulki.”

Sani appealed to security agents to come to their rescue while revealing that, “there are no security agents in the whole area.”

Pulse reports that Zamfara state remains of the states most ravaged by banditry and terrorists attack in the North-West region of the country.

Though the Nigerian military have recorded some operational success in the state in recent times with bandits and terrorists being bombed in their hideouts, the latest incident suggests that the criminals may have devised a means to continue their reign of terror in Zamfara.