Bandits have burnt down a part of a military camp and two vehicles belonging to soldiers in Bagega village of Anka in Zamfara State on Saturday.
Several residents and two soldiers were wounded during the attack by the terrorists, who also looted many shops, local sources said.
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Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the terrorists wanted to take over trading activities in the popular Bagega weekly market, but the soldiers stationed in the community engaged them in a gunfight that lasted over two hours, until the terrorists withdrew after reinforcements arrived from Anka town.
‘Soldiers repelled the bandits in their first attempt. However, unknown to the soldiers patrolling the outskirts, the bandits mobilised more from Sunke and other areas.
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“Around 1 p.m., we began hearing gunshots from outside the community. The soldiers took their vehicle and headed out of the community to confront the bandits,” a traditional ruler in the area who asked not to be named for safety reasons told PREMIUM TIMES.
Residents said the gunfight forced people to flee the market.
When a resident of the community called this reporter around 2:07 p.m., sounds of sporadic gunshots could be heard in the background. ”
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“The bandits came in large numbers. You can hear the gunshots from all angles,’ the resident said.
The terrorists took another route into the community. They headed first to the soldiers’ camp and set it and the two vehicles on fire, before the soldiers engaged them in another round of gunfight.
‘The bandits moved into the market and carted away phones and cold drinks from shops. No shops were spared during the looting,’ Sadiq Sulaiman, a resident of Bagega, said.
‘Several residents were also injured during the gunfight. So far, we have no recorded loss of life from us civilians.’
The traditional ruler said two soldiers were injured and believed ‘several of the bandits were killed. “You know they don’t leave behind the dead bodies of their friends.’
The spokesperson for Fansan Yamma, Joint 2 JTF, Fansan Yamma, Olaniyi Osoba, didn’t respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him over the attack.
Bagega, a business community, is located around the Sunke and Bagega forests that straddle communities in Kebbi and Niger states, as well as areas like Maru and Bukkuyum that bear the brunt of terrorists’ attacks.
Bagega and other communities in the area have gold and other mineral resources that attract the terrorists, who have camps in the forests and in communities around Bagega.
READ ALSO: Troops kill 18 terrorists, destroy enclaves in Borno Official
The far northern part of the country has been under the siege of terrorists since at least 2011, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people killed and millions displaced.
The crisis has affected all strata of society and the local economy.
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