Suspected armed bandits yesterday abducted 35 women working on a farm at Matankari village in Dansadau District of Maru local government area of Zamfara state.
Residents told Daily Trust that the armed bandits arrived at the farm on motorbikes, carried the women and dashed into the forest.
The incident came barely one month after 40 residents were abducted in Maru local government area of the state and released in a cows-for-persons swap deal with the state government.
The armed bandits are now into kidnapping in Zamfara state and dozens of residents were abducted and millions of Naira paid in ransom to regain their freedom.
The abducted women were threshing sorghum on a farm belonging to one Alhaji Adamu when the gunmen arrived and whisked them away. It was not clear by last night whether they had demanded or would demand ransom.
A resident, Alhaji Mu’awuya, told our reporter that after going deep inside the forest with the women, the armed bandits released the aged ones among them, and held on to the young ladies.
“One of my neighbours called Alhaji Garba Matankari whose aged mother was among the abducted women but later released just left here. I would have given him the phone for you to talk to him,” Alhaji Mu’a wuya said, adding, “My neighbour’s mother is at home now. She is being treated after her feet became swollen because of the long distance trek inside the forest. The armed bandits were heard saying that they would descend on other villages around the area.”
The spokesman of the state police command DSP Muhammad Shehu could not be reached for comment by press time.
