Black Sunday: Gunmen kill 30 in Zamfara

…as 6 die in Yobe church attack

No fewer than 30 persons were reportedly killed yesterday following fresh attacks by gunmen in Birnin-Magaji Local Government area of Zamfara State.

Chairman of the council, Alhaji Muhammad Gusami, on Sunday, disclosed that the attacks took place in Kokeya and Chigama villages in the area.

Gusami said the gunmen invaded Kokeya village with motorcycles and killed two persons, set some houses ablaze and carted away animals mostly cows.

He said that the “unfortunate incident” had been reported to the Divisional Police Officer of Birnin-Magaji as well as soldiers on surveillance of the zone.

According to him, while this was going on, the attackers returned the next day and invaded the neighbouring village of Chigama.

“The gunmen, however, killed more than 30 persons whose bodies were still being recovered from the bush,” he said.

The chairman said the corpses have been taken to Birnin-magaji General Hospital.

He said the Chigama attack took place shortly after three police trucks just left the area when they noticed that peace had returned to the area, adding that the armed bandits also set several houses on fire on their second attack on Chigama village.

Malam Ibrahim Sani, an eye-witness, also told newsmen that the gunmen who invaded Kokeya came while the villagers were closing from their prayers.

“The attackers shot sporadically in the air which prompted the people of Chigama to intervene. That may have provoked the gunmen to come back so as to punish Chigama people for trying to prevent the attack the previous day.

“While three persons were killed from Kokeya and Chigama on the first day in Kokeya, more than 50 were killed on the second day in Chigama while several houses were burnt,” said Sani.

The state's Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sanusi Amiru, who confirmed the attack, said that the police and army have moved to the area and normalcy had been restored.

Similarly, a suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday inside a church in the Potiskum, Yobe State, killing five worshippers, a police officer and witness have disclosed.

The bomber entered the uncompleted Redeemed Christian Church of God at 9:55 am in the Jigawa area on the outskirts of the city and detonated his explosives, killing the worshippers, including a woman and her two children as well as the pastor, they said.

“Four worshippers died instantly while the fifth victim gave up shortly after she was taken to hospital,” a police officer involved in the evacuation said.

“The victims included a woman and her two children, the pastor and another worshipper,” added the officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A witness, Mallam Garba Manu, told newsmen that the bomber arrived at the church on a motorised rickshaw disguised as a worshipper and detonated his explosives as soon as he entered the church.

“I saw when the bomber alighting from a motorised rickshaw and entering the church and as soon as he entered a loud explosion ripped through the church which is under construction,” he said.

“I saw him walked into the church and he didn’t raise any suspicion. Five worshippers, including three females and two males were in the church when the bomber entered and they were all killed,” he added.

“The dismembered body of the bomber was also recovered,” said Manu, who lives in the area.

As at the time of filing this report, there was no immediate claim of responsibility but Potiskum, the commercial capital of Yobe State, has been hit repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists in their six-year insurgency, including by suicide bombers.

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