Suspected bandits have killed at least 51 people in attacks on five communities in Zurmi local government area of Zamfara State.
The communities include Kadawa, Kwata, Maduba, Ganda Samu, Saulawa and Askawa.
Hundreds of residents have been displaced by the attacks, with many of them, including women and children taking shelter in Dauran and Zurmi towns.
Residents said several motorbike riding gangs of armed men stormed the communities firing at people.
The armed men were chasing the residents into their houses and on to farms where they were shot dead.
In recent weeks, Zurmi local government has witnessed a spike in deadly raids on rural communities.
Last week, aggrieved youths blocked Gusau – Kaura Namoda- Zurmi road to protest the unending killings by the armed criminals.
Even before then, there was a protest at the palace of Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, by the dwellers of rural communities in the local government.
The bodies of the slain residents already recovered were brought to Dauran, a community located about 10 km west of Zurmi town, the headquarters of Zurmi local government area.
“Several other bodies are yet to be recovered from the surrounding bushes although effort is being intensified to recover them so that they are properly buried.
“There was an intense fear that the armed men might return and kill those performing the funeral rite of the victims as they have been doing before. That is why we decided to ferry the bodies to Dauran community.”
“So far we have buried 28 victims in the community. As I’m talking to you we have just finished the funeral rite. Mass burials were conducted on the victims, ” a resident identified as Haruna told Daily Trust.
The spokesman of the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, said the police had brought 14 bodies for burial at Unguwar Gwaza cemetery in Gusau, the state capital.
He said the state commissioner of police Mr Hussaini Rabiu was at Dauran community and security operatives there were reinforced.
