Gunmen suspected to be terrorists on Monday invaded Kucheri community in Zamfara State, shooting sporadically and causing panic among residents who scampered for safety.
The terrifying moment was captured in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by prominent counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, who consistently reports on the deteriorating security situation in the North.
In the footage seen by SaharaReporters, several residents, including women and children, were seen fleeing in all directions as rapid gunfire echoed through the community.
Some could be heard making frantic Islamic prayers, calling on God for protection while the gunmen advanced.
A frightened male voice was heard shouting in Hausa, while others screamed “innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun” translated in English as “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him, we shall return” repeatedly in panic and desperation.
Last week, the media reported how military personnel were killed while attempting to repel a bandit attack along a highway in the state.
Sources revealed that among the casualties was an officer, Lieutenant Isma’il Yahya.
In a separate but related incident, terrorists stormed Tofa village, where they killed more than 15 residents.
Tofa community, situated in Magami district of Gusau Local Government Area, has been devastated by repeated bandit attacks.
Located near Gusau, the state capital, the village has reportedly been abandoned by most of its residents, unable to pay the levies imposed by bandits and left without sufficient security protection.
“The bandits on Sunday attacked the community; they ambushed the troops and killed many of them. The families of the dead soldiers have been informed, but the army has been silent on the incident.
“In Tofa, over 15 people were massacred, many others were injured, and some were nowhere to be found,“ a source said.
Zamfara is one of the northern states grappling with relentless attacks by bandits, who raid villages, loot property, kill residents, and burn homes to the ground.
These armed groups operate from camps hidden within a vast forest that spans Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states.
In recent years, they have been responsible for mass abductions of students from schools across the region.
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