Zamfara massacre: How man, 60, sons led killer gang

AN interim report on the gruesome killings that took place in Kizara village of Zamfara State last week has indentified a 60-year-old man, Yahaya Darma, and his sons as the leader of the gang which carried out the massacre.

The report already in the custody of the government also indicated that the gang that killed over 50 villagers in Kizara area of Zamfara State was on revenge mission against the villagers, where a vigilance team had apprehended and killed four of the gang members, including two sons of the ring leader, Darma, in January.

Insights into the report, however, indicated that the police and the state government had a share of the blame for the massacre as the governor, his deputy, speaker of the State House of Assembly and other cabinet members were said to be unavailable for immediate assistance to the community when the attack occurred.

Besides, the report indicated that a faulty shift schedule of the police in the area also gave the attackers a leeway to inflict untold damage on the community.

According to reports pieced together from sources, the ring leader, who is said to live in Gwagwalada, Abuja, had two of his sons in the robbery gang and had been using the Birni Gwari forest, which borders Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states as hideout.

Two of his sons were said to have been apprehended and killed among four of the gang members, after a robbery attack in Kizara village in January.

The gang leader was said to have been incensed by the killing of his sons by the local vigilance group and only returned last week for revenge.

It was gathered that following intelligence report of the possible return of the gang after the January killing, a detachment of policemen was deployed to the village and that informants of the gang, apparently briefed members on the shift schedule of the mobile police team, a development leading to the attack last Tuesday.

A source described the situation thus: “A gang of Fulani armed robbers operating from the expansive Birni Gwari forest has been attacking villages under Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

“The said Tsafe Local Government shares borders with Katsina and Niger states. The gang leader, one Yahaya Darma, 60, lost two of his sons when a vigilance group guarding Kizara village  apprehended four members of the gang and subsequently executed them in January.

“Following information made available to policemen that the gang leader had promised revenge for the killing of his son, a mobile unit was stationed strategically in the villages around Kizara area.

“It appears, however, that the gang members have studied the pattern of change in duty of the mobile men and struck immediately they perceived a lapse.”

It was gathered that policemen who completed their duty on Sunday were to be replaced, but another team did not come until Wednesday, thus leaving the room for the attackers to strike late on Monday/Tuesday morning.

At least, 50 persons were said to have been killed in the attack, while a number of women and children were said to have been hit by stray bullets.

It was also gathered that 50 men were killed in the attack with one woman as casualty.
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