A man was killed by gunmen suspected of being infamous bandits in Kwalfada village, Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State. The father’s unwillingness to marry his daughter to one of the bandits was the impetus for the heinous conduct.
According to Usman Magaji, a resident of the community who reported the incident, one of the bandits had proposed marriage to a girl in the village. However, the girl’s father adamantly rejected the proposal and chose to marry his daughter to another villager.
Tragedy unfolded shortly after the marriage when the bandits, armed and dangerous, stormed the village and mercilessly killed the father. In a disturbing turn of events, they demanded that the newlywed husband immediately divorce his wife, coercing him with the threat of death.
Faced with a life-threatening ultimatum, the husband complied, and the wife was forcibly remarried to the bandit who had sought her initially. The bandits then abducted the newly married woman, taking her to an undisclosed location in the forest.
Usman Magaji expressed the longstanding terror inflicted upon the community by these bandits, citing a lack of security provision for the residents. He revealed that the bandits had been extorting money from the community, with recent levies amounting to a staggering N4 million, causing villagers to sell their food items and valuables to meet the demand.
As of the time of reporting, the State police command’s spokesman, Yazid Abdulahi, had not provided any official statement on the tragic incident, leaving the community in a state of shock and vulnerability.