‘Bandits’ kill Senator Marafa’s sister, abduct her husband

Suspected bandits have killed Ade Marafa, elder sister of Kabir Marafa, senator representing Zamfara central, and abducted her husband.

Abubakar Tsafe, an aide to the senator, who confirmed this to TheCable, said the bandits struck at the residence of the senator’s sister located at Ruwan Bore area of Gusau local government area on Tuesday.

The aide said the suspected bandits numbering about 100 set the village ablaze after raiding it.

“More than half of Ruwan Bore village has been burnt by the bandits. The villagers are now seeking refuge at Mada, a neighbouring community,” he said in a statement.

Tsafe said at the time of issuing the statement, the senator’s in-law had not been found.

The senator has, on many occasions ,expressed concern about the high level of insecurity in the state.

In November, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a military crackdown on the bandits but the killings have continued unabated.

Due to the overwhelming activities of the bandits, Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara, said he was no longer chief security officer of the state because he had no control over security machinery.

“As chief security officer, the nomenclature is just a name,” Yari had said.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in September, the governor said from 2011, at least 2,300 people have died as a result of insecurity in the state.