Suspected bandits on Wednesday night stormed the Kasuwar Daji livestock market in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, rustling no fewer than 500 cows in a coordinated attack.
State chairman of the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Comrade Aminu Garba, confirmed the incident, describing it as a repeat of a similar raid in the area about four years ago.
Garba said the attackers were believed to have mingled with traders and villagers during the day to study market activities before striking under the cover of darkness.
He explained that many of the stolen cattle had been brought from several markets, including animals imported from neighbouring Niger Republic, all stockpiled at Kasuwar Daji for onward transportation to southern states.
“We assemble every Wednesday and move the animals to Lagos and other parts of the country.
The bandits capitalised on the rush and drove the cattle towards the western flank of the market,” he said.
He added that the hoodlums, numbering over 100 and armed with sophisticated weapons, escaped through a forest route at the edge of the unfenced market.
One of the victims, Alhaji Sani Yaba Ajiyan Fawa, corroborated the account, saying the rustled livestock belonged to herders popularly known as Yantugu.
According to him, only about 60 animals were recovered after they strayed during the commotion.
Garba criticised what he called poor vigilance by market guards, lamenting that authorities were not alerted early enough for a possible interception.
He said many of the affected cattle were jointly owned, leaving several families stranded.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the state police command were unsuccessful as calls to the spokesperson went unanswered.