Gunmen In Vehicles Given To ‘Repentant’ Bandits In Zamfara Kill Police Inspector, 11 Others

No fewer than twelve people including a police inspector have been killed by bandits in an attack on Wazoji village in Zamfara State.

According to SaharaReporters, a source disclosed that the incident happened on Sunday.

The source while speaking on the incident noted that the bandits came in a Hilux vehicle and motorcycles given to repentant bandits by the state Governor, Bello Matawalle.

The source added that the attackers also looted shops in the village, while several cows were also rustled during the attack.

This is coming a few days after bandits killed sixty-seven people in Magarya ward, Kagawa community of the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Recall that the state Governor was accused by the news platform of given 15 brand new Hilux vehicles to leaders of different ‘repentant’ groups.

SaharaReporters also claimed that governor Matawalle approved millions of naira to be given to the ‘repentant’ bandits as compensation.

The state government in 2019 entered into a peace agreement with the gunmen.

But despite the accord, communities in the state are still being attacked and residents kidnapped and/or killed.

Last year, Governor Aminu Masari, Matawalle’s counterpart in Katsina State, said his administration had to pull out of the peace deal it had with bandits that had been terrorising residents of the state.

Masari said despite the peace deal, the gunmen continued to carry out attacks with their accomplices from Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger Republic, leading to “indiscriminate killings” and kidnappings in the state.

He said, “The armed bandits have betrayed our trust in them, following a peace agreement earlier negotiated with them, in our quest to find a lasting peace in the state.”

“We chose dialogue for peaceful coexistence in the state and we have done our best; yet, the attacks continue.”

“As a result of the peace agreement, the government banned vigilance groups and identified cattle routes and facilitated free movements of bandits to convey their livestock to the markets.”