Bandits Kidnap Former Zamfara Commissioner’s Children, Kill Neighbour

Bandits in Zamfara State in the early hours of Tuesday kidnapped the children of a former commissioner for Local Governments in the state, Alhaji Bello Dankande Gamji.

A neighbour who attempted to rescue the children when the bandits forcefully entered the former commissioner’s house was also said to have been killed while the watchman was kidnapped along with Gamji’s three children.

Narrating the ordeal on the telephone to our correspondent, Gamji said the bandits went to his house in the early hours of Tuesday around 4am while he was in Gusau town, the state capital.

He said he received a phone call from his family intimating him of the sad incident and he immediately rushed to the village.

He explained that the bandits had fired many shots into the house, thinking that he was around and killed Shafiu Isa Gamji, a neighbour who had come to rescue his children in the process.

Gamji said, “I received a phone call from my family in the early hours of today, intimating me of the sad incident and I immediately rushed to the village.

“They killed my neighbor, Shafi,u Isa Gamji, who came to rescue the family on the spot and abducted four others in the house namely, Mujtaba Bello Gamji, Abdulmutallab Bello Gamji, Bashiru Gamji and the watchman, Mansur Suleiman.”

He said he had reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Bakura Local Government Area, Alhaji Garba Mahuta, adding that some officials of the military, police, and Civil Defence Corps had already visited the house.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Shehu Mohammed said, “The police are aware of the kidnap of the four persons from the former commissioner’s house.

“The person, Shafi,u Isa Gamji, who was shot dead by the bandits was a neighbor of the former commissioner who confronted the bandits in a bid to render assistance.”

He stated that the police command has already drafted its personnel in order to rescue the kidnapped persons as it has been doing in the past.