Militants (file photo)

Richard Elesho

A large number of gunmen suspected to be bandits on Tuesday afternoon invaded Danssdau, a community in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State shooting sporadically and making traumatized residents to desert the streets and scamper to safety. The attackers plundered the town without mercy.

Earlier in the day, it was gathered that the gunmen had abducted 18 travellers in the town, described as the second largest community in the State, on their way to Gusau, the capital.

An indigene of the town, Husaini Yanbiyu, told The PUNCH that the bandits, who were in large numbers, came to the town around 4pm, carrying sophisticated weapons and shooting sporadically.

Yanbiyu said, “Everybody in the town ran helter-skelter to avoid being killed as the bandits were shooting from different directions.

“As I am talking to you now, there is nobody outside the town. Everybody is currently in their house because there are no security personnel here.”

When asked if there were casualties, Yanbiyu said, “Until we come out of hiding, nobody can tell if people were killed or not.”

According to him, the bandits earlier in the day abducted 18 people who were traveling to Gusau town in a bus.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, said, “The police command is not aware of the 18 people said to have been abducted. On the issue of the invasion of Dansadau town by the bandits, I will get back to you.”