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Bandits have reportedly attacked Talata Mafara, the hometown of former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, and abducted his brother-in-law and a neighbour.
The incident, according to PREMIUM TIMES happened on Monday night, and it was the first time the headquarters of Talata Mafara Local Government would be attacked.
There had been previous attacks in the local government area, including the abduction of over 300 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, but they all happened in villages.
One of Yari’s political associates, Bello Ruwan Bado, confirmed the abduction of Auwal Hussain, known as King.
Hussain, whose sister is Yari’s first wife, lives in the former governor’s private residence before he got married and is considered to be one of Yari’s closest associates.
The wife of Hussain’s neighbour, Surajo, was also kidnapped in the incident.
Another neighbour, Mustapha Lawal, said he heard gunshots and the voices of the bandits.
“We heard when the bandits came in the night. They came on motorcycles and shot in the air to scare people. It was in the night around 11:30pm.
“The fact that bandits could come into this area considered to be the safest in Talata Mafara, which is also the second largest town in the state is scary. They operated for over an hour without security personnel coming to challenge them,” he said.
A friend of Hussain, who spoke anonymity, said they believed informants were involved.
“King has just returned from Dubai, and when the bandits came, they even asked him if he had brought anything for them from Dubai. They also didn’t kidnap anyone apart from the wife of King’s neighbour,” he said.
