17 people have been slaughtered by thieves in Rimi hamlet, which is located in the Yankari Game Reserve forest in Bauchi State’s Alkaleri Local Government Area.
Following violent attacks by armed bandits in numerous communities around the LGA, thousands of people, including women, children, and the elderly, have also started to leave their homes.
In Alkaleri LGA, the communities are located close to a recently discovered oil field.
Babawo Abdullahi, a resident of Yashi village, told Daily Trust that the bandits raided the community last Friday shortly after Jum’aat prayers and started shooting at residents.
After the Rimi raid, according to Abdullahi, the troops stationed in Duguri village were mobilized to the forest, where they later found and killed a number of the bandits.
Investigation reveals that the prevalence of mining activities in many villages, which drew mining companies to Alkaleri, played a significant role in the rise in bandits, along with the large, dense forest of Yankari Game Reserve, which has now turned into a haven for these individuals who terrorize villagers while making a tidy profit from ransom payments.
However, Comrade Bala Mohammed Duguri, Chairman of the National Youth Council’s Alkaleri section, claimed in a telephone interview that the 14 persons who were killed by the robbers were shot intermittently while riding over 300 motorcycles that were heavily armed.
The bandits attacked Rumi on Friday at 3 p.m., shortly after Ju’maat prayers, and cordoned off the community. They then opened fire, murdering 14 people and burning down over 70 homes as they circled the village. During the raid, the robbers also set a Toyota Hilux and a tractor on fire. During the tragic attack, the gunmen stole hundreds of livestock, according to Mohammed.
“Yesterday (Saturday), we went to Rimi village with the district chief of Duguri to express our condolences to the people for the attack, and we also received some of the internally displaced people (victims) from Rimi to help ease their suffering,” Mohammed continued.
The attack and deaths of the people in Alkaleri have been denied by the Bauchi State Police Command.
According to SP Ahmed Wakil, the police’s public relations officer, no one has been attacked or killed in the recently discovered oil towns in Bauchi State.
“The Bauchi Police Command’s attention has been called to viral media reports in some sectors of the media dated December 11, 2022, saying that kidnappers killed ten persons in a week within communities near freshly discovered oil fields. The entire story is untrue, declared Wakil.
In a related occurrence, on Sunday, bandits ambushed and killed four traders from Zandam village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.
To reporters in Katsina, Jibia LGA Chairman Bashir Sabi’u Maitan corroborated the information.
The traders, according to him, were assassinated while en route to Jibia’s weekly market, which opens every Sunday.
On the other hand, a dependable source from Zandam village who talked on the record indicated the bandits were launching a retaliation strike.
“Some vigilante group members killed a Fulani guy on Saturday, and today the bandits ambushed and slaughtered our people as they traveled to Jibia market.
“Five individuals were shot; four perished instantly, while the fifth, Malam Ibrahim Julius, was hurt and is now receiving medical attention at a hospital. When called, SP Gambo Isah, the Katsina police spokeswoman, verified the event and stated that the injured party had been admitted to the general hospital.
One of the local government areas (LGAs) with security issues is Jibia, which is why the state administration of Zamfara State announced the closure of the Jibia-Zurmi road.