Not less than 143 corpses were said to have been recovered and given a mass burial on Saturday following a spate of brutal attacks by bandits on several communities in the Anka and Bukuyyum local government area of Zamfara State between Wednesday and Thursday.
According to reports, residents of some of the affected communities, said the terrorists numbering over 100, said to be loyal to bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, were fleeing their camps in the Fakai forest in Shinkafi local government area following constant bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force, when they invaded the communities on their way and massacred the victims.
Some of the victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition, while some were decapitated, and their bodies recovered from bushes and in farmlands as they were caught unawares by the fleeing bandits.
There has been no official reaction from the authorities on the matter.