Bandits terrorizing Zamfara State have reportedly abducted over 40 persons from communities in Maru Local Government Area during various attacks over the past two weeks.

A resident of Maru town, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi, told newsmen in a telephone interview on Thursday that the situation has become deeply concerning for many community members in the local government area.

According to him, the bandits have been carrying out a series of attacks in the local government headquarters and surrounding communities, abducting residents from their homes.

“Just last week, the bandits stormed our town and conducted house-to-house searches, starting from the Emir’s palace area, and kidnapped seven persons,” he said.

Abdullahi attributed the frequent attacks on Maru communities to the activities of informants collaborating with the bandits in the area.

“Our major challenge is the bandits’ informants, as most of the kidnapped victims are prominent persons in the area,” he lamented.

“As I am talking to you now, there are over 40 kidnapped victims in bandit camps following simultaneous attacks on Maru communities over the past two weeks.”

Speaking further, he noted that the bandits terrorizing the area are operating from camps behind Bakalori Dam (Bayan Ruwa) in Maradun Local Government Area of the State.

“We are in serious trouble because many bandits are relocating to the Maradun camp. There is an urgent need for authorities to dislodge them for peace to thrive.”

He appealed to the federal and Zamfara State governments to urgently deploy more troops to the Maradun area to tackle the Bayan Ruwa bandit camps.

Another resident of the area, Usman Abubakar, described the local government as a “colony of banditry,” stating that the bandits unleash terror at will.

“When the banditry began more than a decade ago, Dansadau, a district of Maru Local Government, was the epicenter. But now, the bandits have spread to all parts of the State, especially Maru Local Government Area,” he said.

Recall that a few months ago, bandits killed several police officers, including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in Maru town.

All efforts to obtain a reaction from the State Police Command on the issue proved abortive at the time of filing this report.