The terrorists invaded the community few hours after soldiers attacked their hideout.
Terrorists led by Mai Rasha have burnt down the official residence of the district head of Yankuzo, Babangida Hamza, in the Tsafe area of Zamfara State, on Tuesday.
The terrorists also looted shops and carted away foodstuff and other commodities.
The district head, Mr Hamza, told an online media organisation, DCL Hausa, on Tuesday, that the terrorists arrived in the morning and remained in the community until around 03:30 p.m.
“They (terrorists) rode into the community shooting sporadically and moved straight to my official residence where they burnt down the palace,” the Kogon Yankuzo, said.
“I was in Tsafe town when I received a call that my people were under attack. So far, (4:05 p.m.) I’ve not received information on how many have been injured or killed, but my extended family members have been evacuated from the residence,” he added
The district head said several shops were looted by the terrorists.
Mr Hamza said “We were informed in the morning that soldiers were moving into the bandits’ hideouts not far from our community for operation.
“A few hours after that, the bandits drove into our community for revenge. I’ve always been their target, hence, my decision to relocate to the local government headquarters. I operate from there,” he said.
The traditional ruler said he was abducted by the terrorists six months ago when they suspected him of providing information to security agents on the terrorists’ movements in the area. He was later released.
The attack on Yankuzo came three days after a district head in the Kaura Namoda area, Ibrahim Dan Auta, the Sarkin Yamman Kaura, was abducted in his residence.
In Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states especially, traditional rulers have been among the most vulnerable to terrorists’ attacks over the years.
The police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazid Abubakar, didn’t respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him over the attack. His known phone number was unreachable as of the time of this report.
