Villagers plan mass burial for bandits killed in supremacy battle

Scores of bandits have been killed as a result of a heavy fight between two rival groups around Hayin Alhaji and Munhaye forest in the Tsafe Local Government Area in Zamfara State.

A local, Mohammed Sanda, mentioned on Sunday that the two bandit groups engaged in a supremacy fight last Saturday where scores lost their lives.

Sanda said villagers found several dead bodies at the scene of the fight and had started considering a mass burial for the dead bandits.

“We may dig a big grave and bury the dead bodies before they decompose,” he said.

According to Sanda, a group of bandits from neighbouring Katsina State invaded some communities in Zamfara State with the intention of kidnapping the residents.

But the powerful and notorious bandits’ kingpin, Ado Alero, who is an indigene of the area, intervened and refused to allow the rival bandit group to kidnap the villagers.

The two rival groups engaged in a gun battle which resulted in the death of several bandits from both sides.

He said the people of the area trooped to the battleground to see the dead bodies of the neutralised bandits.

According to him, there were over 20 motorcycles abandoned by the bandits at the place where the fight took place.

He said, “Some bandits who came from Katsina State invaded some communities between Tafkin Kazai and Munhaye village around five o’clock in the evening of last Saturday, trying to abduct the residents of the area.

“While they were in the area, another group of bandits led by Ado Alero came to the place in a bid to protect the residents.

“The two bandit groups exchanged hot words and finally began to shoot at each other, while the residents ran helter-skelter for their dear lives.

“As we were running, the bandits’ leader Ado Alero told us not to panic and asked us to remain where we were.

“The two groups fought for several hours where many of them were killed and when we returned to the area early morning of today, Sunday, we saw many corpses and several motorcycles.

“As I am speaking to you at the moment, many people are trooping to this place to see the corpses and the abandoned motorcycles,” Sanda said.

Sanda also explained that the communities were looking into the possibility of giving a mass burial to the dead bodies of the bandits.

“We may dig a big grave and bury the dead bodies before they decompose,” he said.

When contacted for comment, the spokesperson for the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, said he was not aware of the incident.

“I am not aware of this, but it is a very important development. God is answering our prayers in the fight against banditry,” Abubakar said.