Eight persons have been killed in an attack by gunmen on Janbako community of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.

He explained that the bandits launched an aggressive reprisal attack on the community in the early hours of Sunday following the invasion of a Fulani settlement that led to the killing of three (3) Fulanis by the outlawed “Yansakai” group on Saturday 16th January 2021.

“On the receipt of the report, the Command quickly responded and deployed a Combine team of PMP/CTU led by the DPO Maradun and the Military who moved down to the village and engaged the bandits, but quickly fled and escaped into the forest with possible casualties.

“At the end of the encounter, Eight (8) Villagers were unfortunately discovered to have been killed by the bandits during the attack”, Shehu said.

The police command spokesman added that the corpse of the deceased and those injured have been taken to the hospital in Talata Mafara for autopsy and medical treatment.

He noted that the attack on Janbako Community was aggravated by the continued operation of members of the outlawed “Yansakai” group despite its proscription by the State Government, the group is still disturbing the peaceful stability of Zamfara State.

The Commissioner of Police Zamfara State, CP Abutu Yaro (FDC), while commiserating with the families of the deceased also assured that discreet investigation will be conducted with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act and charge them to court for prosecution.

The CP called on members of the public to desist from self-help as he will not hesitate to deal decisively with any person or group of persons whose action or actions affect the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.