Gunmen suspected to be bandits have attacked three communities in Zamfara State, setting 12 vehicles ablaze and imposing N50 million levy on residents of the communities.
The gunmen attacked the communities in Dansadau District, Maru Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday evening after they arrived the areas on motorcycles.
It was gathered that the marauders operated in the communities for more than one hour without facing challenges from any security agencies, as they poured petrol on vehicles of various brands and set them ablaze.
While the attack was going on, some of the residents had to flee into the bush for safety while some others held captives begged for leniency.
A source close to the communities told Impact Nigeria News Online on Monday afternoon that the gunmen told community leaders that in order not to face further attacks, the three communities should pay the sum of N50 million as levy, giving them a 20-day ultimatum to pay up.
As of the time of this report, the source disclosed that the community leaders are making frantic efforts to raise the money while some residents who fled their homes are yet to return for fear of another attack, especially at night.
In another positive development, on Monday morning, troops of Forward Operating Base (FOB), Binji, killed a Lakurawa militant in Soruro village, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, following a distress call about the presence of terrorists in the area.
The troops made contact with the terrorists around 5:00 a.m., killed one of them and recovered an AK-47 rifle, a magazine and 27 rounds of ammunition.
The troops are currently combing the surrounding bushes and forests in the area in order to apprehend some of the fleeing Lakurawa terrorists.
