From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Bandits yesterday shot a retired Army General and seized unspecified number of passengers in Zamfara State.

Similarly, they invaded two communities in Benue State, killed three persons, badly injured three and razed many houses.

The General is Director General of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG), Lawal Muhammad.

He was shot during an attack on motorists at Kucheri village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According report, the bandits blocked the Funtua-Tsafe road late evening to abduct travellers.

According to Daily Trust, a source from the Zamfara State Ministry of Internal Security confirmed the incident and adding that General was receiving medical attention in a hospital in Gusau, the state capital.

“It is confirmed that the bandits shot DG Community Protection Guards and he is currently receiving treatment at Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital,” the source said.

The attack came days after bandits killed at least eight CPG personnel and a commercial driver in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the bandits ambushed the CPG personnel before killing them.

The bandits also engaged soldiers in a gun duel at Unguwar Chida village killing a commercial driver and injured three soldiers.

Unguwar Chida is a village a few metres away from Magazu on the same Funtua-Gusau road.

The two separate attacks, according to a resident of Unguwar Chida were carried out almost at the same time.

The General explained, “After I realised that bandits have made operations in Tsafe a routine exercise, I deployed 105 CPG personnel to the local government and stationed them at this particular point to protect travellers.

“Unfortunately, the bandits on Sunday ambushed my boys. I suspect that the bandits slept there because my boys used to go there early in the morning.

“So, while my boys were about to come down from their patrol van, the bandits opened fire and killed some of them on the spot. It is quite unfortunate.”

Similarly, two people have been reported killed and three others badly injured in fresh attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on Ikpelle and Egwuma communities of Agatu Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.

It was gathered that the armed herders equally burnt down many houses in the communities, stole several animals and motorbikes.

This new attacks came barely two weeks after two soldiers and  six civilians were killed in a similar attack on same Egwuma community.

A folk in the area said the armed herders invaded the two communities separately in their numbers on Wednesday at about 4:30pm from the neighbouring Nasarawa State.

The local said the attack on Ikpelle happened on Friday evening, adding that the herders first attacked Egwuma Wednesday.

The chairman of Agatu LGC, Mavis Ejeh confirmed the attacks on the communities to newsmen on phone.

He disclosed that the attack in Egwuma community did not claim any life but several houses were burnt down and many livestocks and motorbikes were stolen by the armed herdsmen.

“Yes, there was an attack on Agatu LGA. In the case of Egwuma community, the herdsmen destroyed two houses, stole several livestock and many motorbikes but fortunately no life was lost.

“However, the situation in the community is now calm and normalcy has been restored, because when these attacks happened, I immediately called for deployment of soldiers to the area.

“So soldiers have again been deployed to Egwuma community and as I speak with you, soldiers are stationed in there.

“We are actually working towards lasting solutions. You know I just resumed office about few days ago and I’m studying the situation. So we will get peace in that area very soon.

“But there is one thing we need to know about the area – the bad terrain. The roads leading to Ikpelle and Egwuma communities are very bad so the response time is usually very long.

“You must be fair to the security agencies. Inasmuch as some of them have their lapses, we must be fair to them, that terrain is bad. A less than 10kms road will take you a long time to get to that community. That is our major problem.

“As I speak to you the governor has awarded a contract for a major road as Agatu Obagaji-Okokolo-Agangbe areas.

“The roads in the rural areas are very bad and once the roads are put in order, we are going to have security and peace because response would be quicker and even the assailants will be careful in attacking communities because they know that if they do, security agents will get at them immediately,” Ejeh stated.

He promised to carry out massive infrastructural development in Agatu especially rural roads and social amenities and put an end to the incessant attacks on communities in Agatu as soon as he settles down in the office.Efforts to get reaction from the Benue State Police Command proved abortive as the Police Public Relations Officer Catherine Anene could not be reached at the time of filing this report.