Thirty-six people killed by gunmen in Birane Village in Zurmi Local Council of Zamfara State have been buried, amidst outrage in the social media that the tragedy was being downplayed and that there has been no official reaction.
However, the Police Command in Zamfara admitted that 18 persons died in the attack, which appears to be a reprisal against the villagers for intercepting a suspected cattle rustler.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Muhammad Shehu said hunters from Birani village of Zurmi local government area accosted a herder in the bush with some suspected stolen cattle and sheep.
According to him “The herder abandoned the animals and escaped into the bush, but unknown to the hunters, the cattle rustler went to Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State and mobilized bandits to attack the hunters.
The bandits however ambushed the hunters in the bush and there was a clash that led to fatalities on both sides.
The Police/Military and other sister agencies reacted by combing the bush and its environs to salvage the situation and discovered 18 dead bodies.
According to Shehu “It is believed that the bandits took away their own members that were killed. Meanwhile, bush combing is in progress so as to further profile the area.
He said “Mobile policemen/Special forces and other security personnel from other sister security agencies have been deployed to the area to restore peace and stability,”
The spokesman also said the command’s Intelligence Unit had already embarked on an investigation to arrest the perpetrators of the attack.
