By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Bilbis village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State has reportedly been deserted following a surge in bandit attacks that has forced residents to remain indoors or flee the community.
Residents say the village has been under the control of armed groups for more than ten days, with locals either confined to their homes around the clock or quietly escaping to Gusau, the state capital.
A resident, Murtala Ahmed, told BANNERNEWS that the attackers have imposed strict rules on the community, compelling households to pay levies and comply with directives issued by the armed groups.
According to him, many families have already fled the village in search of safety, while those who remain live in fear under the watch of the bandits.
Ahmed said shortly before the commencement of the Ramadan fast, the attackers ordered every household to buy a small piece of meat at a cost of N5,000.
He explained that the directive followed a military operation in which soldiers reportedly attacked cattle belonging to the bandits while they were grazing near the village.
“The soldiers killed many of the cattle. The injured ones were slaughtered and pieces of the meat were shared to households,” Ahmed said.
He added that residents have also been forced to stay indoors for more than ten days, warning that anyone seen sitting outside their homes risks being chased back indoors by the bandits.
“Whenever they see anyone outside, they chase the person into the house, search the residence and cart away valuables and money,” he lamented.
Ahmed further claimed that the armed groups recently imposed a N30 million levy on the community, noting that villagers had earlier paid about N15 million under similar demands.
Concerns over the deteriorating security situation were also raised in an open letter addressed to the senator representing Zamfara Central, Ikira Aliyu Bilbis, who is an indigene of the area.
In the letter, which circulated widely on social media, residents said the community and neighbouring villages were facing severe hardship and fear due to continued attacks by armed groups.
The letter noted that many residents lacked the means to escape the violence, saying some could not even afford transport fares to nearby communities such as Kucheri.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Command said security operatives had recently cleared the Kucheri–Bilbis–Danjibga–Keta road in Tsafe Local Government Area after explosive devices planted by bandits made the route impassable for over a month.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said a joint team of police and military personnel, including the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, detected and detonated multiple improvised explosive devices along the road despite coming under attack.
According to him, the operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers and successfully reopened the road to traffic, restoring movement of food and other essential supplies to affected communities.
Efforts to obtain comments from Senator Ikira Aliyu Bilbis, the member representing the area in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Hon. Amiru Keta, and the Chairman of Tsafe Local Government Area, Hon. Shehu Garba Panchas, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to them were not returned.
