Bandits have reportedly killed residents, abducted five people and set harvested rice on fire during an attack on Farin Ruwa community in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The incident was disclosed on Wednesday by security analyst Bakatsine in a post on social media, which also highlighted the difficulties faced by farmers in the area.
According to the report, the assailants had been demanding huge sums of money from farmers before allowing them to harvest their crops.
One of the victims, identified as Saminu Adamu, was reportedly killed despite his family having paid ransom for his release. His harvested farm produce was also destroyed during the attack.
Five other residents were said to remain in captivity. They were identified as Abdulrahman Shehu, Mansur Muhammad, Idi Muhammad, Abdullahi Sani and Sani Usman.
Reacting to the incident, Bakatsine expressed concern over the hardship confronting farmers who risk losing both their lives and livelihoods to banditry.
He questioned how rural residents could provide food for their families when they were unable to harvest their crops safely, calling attention to the need for urgent intervention to protect affected communities.
