There is palpable tension in Tsafe town, Tsafe local government area of Zamfara state following persistent attacks on the neighboring villages by armed bandits.
Daily Telescope reliably gathered occupants of many villages including Tashar-Jirgi, Unguwar dangara, Mararrabar Yankuzo, Gidan Kwalenge, Dan-Amana, Bakin-Gulbi, Yankuzo and Unguwar Alhazai have vacated their homes following the attacks.
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A resident of Tsafe, Muhammad Alili (not real name), who confirmed the attack said, Tsafe community had been thrown into fears and confusion for the past three days due to uncertainty.
He said, “Trouble started since Friday when a father of a popular bandits’ leader, Ado Aliero was arrested in Tsafe by security personnel. The old man was picked by the security agents at Tsafe Abattoir.
“We learnt that the man was released on Saturday. However, despite the release of his father, Aliero mobilised his men and launched offensive attacks on many villages around Tsafe. And, the information reaching us is that, the bandits’ ambition is to storm Tsafe and pick a former police DIG, Mamman Tsafe who served as special adviser to Governor Bello Matawalle on security matters.
“We suspect that the military got intelligence about this plan, hence, deployed hundreds of soldiers to the town on Friday and engaged the bandits in gun battle, thereby killing scores of them.
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“Over 30 patrol vans conveyed armed soldiers to Tsafe on Friday, armored tanks and military fighter jet were also deployed to the town for the operation. The soldiers have been engaging the bandits in gun battle since Friday and many bandits have lost their lives in the fight.
“The fighter jet has been attacking the bandits from the sky, while foot soldiers engaged them on the ground. That has been going on from Friday to Sunday. The soldiers fight the bandits throughout the night.
“We only sleep with one eye closed because the battle is terrifying to the extent that nobody can be able to sleep due to sound of gun shots.”
Another resident, who pleaded for anonymity, also told Daily Telescope that occupants of the villages attacked by the bandits have relocated to Tsafe town.
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“Women and children from the affected villages spent their night in Tsafe and go back to their respective villages in the morning. Some are squatting with our wives and children in our homes, while others slept in the public buildings like schools and mosques.”
He, therefore, appealed to the government intensify security around Tsafe town with a view to preventing the bandits from penetrating into the town.
