BANDITS have killed 14 persons and abducted 81 others in Sokoto and Katsina states. In the eastern part of Sokoto State, 13 persons were killed and 73 abducted, including women and children.
The attacks took place in different communities in Sabon Birni, Gada and Goronyo local government areas. Our correspondent learnt that the communities were attacked almost at the same time last Monday.
Speaking to Daily Trust, a traditional title holder in Sabon Birni, who sought for anonymity, said three communities were attacked in his local government area and 11 persons were killed. The communities were Gatawa and Dangari where six persons were killed, two at Gatawa and three at Kurawa.
Corroborating this, the leader of the vigilante group in Sabon Birni, Musa Muhammad and the legislative member representing Sabon Birni South Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Aminu Almustapha Boza, said the deceased were killed on the farm around 5pm on Monday.
Boza said several persons had been kidnapped by the attackers. The Chairman of Goronyo LGA, Abdulwahab Goronyo, who decried incessant attacks on the communities, said two persons were killed while 23 others were kidnapped in Shinaka and Kagara communities last Monday.
Similarly, the member representing Gada East Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dauda, told our reporter that over 50 people including women and children were abducted by bandits in the area on Monday.
“I cannot give the exact number of people killed during the attacks but as I am talking to you, many of our people who sustained injuries are receiving treatment in different hospitals,” he said.
Dauda lamented that despite their numerous complaints about their fragile security situation, nothing was done to address the problem.
“We complained to the commissioner for security, the DSS and the police because we know the routes used by these bandits to carry out their attacks on our communities but all our efforts were in vein,” he said.
He, however, called for the redeployment of more security operatives in the area.
In another incident, one person was killed and eight residents of communities in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State were reportedly abducted Tuesday night.
A source in Batsari town, who pleaded for anonymity, told our reporter that the bandits killed one Malam Tasi’u after rustling his animals.
“Our friend, who was a resident of Bankin Abba was killed around 3 am today (Wednesday). They earlier rustled his animals and some minutes later they returned and shot him dead.
“He used to cook animal skin for sale and he was here with us in the evening yesterday,” the source said. Another source said the bandits numbering about 10 attacked Shirgi Village also in Batsari, in the early hours of Wednesday, shooting sporadically to scare the villagers and eventually abducted family members of one Alhaji Shuaibu Shirgi.
The abductees, the source said, include women and children as well as two infants, adding that the villagers have mobilised and pursued the attackers where they rescued one of the victims and one person sustained gunshot injury in the process.
“They abducted nine people initially but one was rescued by members of the community who went after them, while the remaining eight are still with them, and the bandits shot one of our young men in his thigh,” he said.
The police spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, could not be reached for confirmation as at the time of filing this report as his mobile phone was connecting and he did not respond to a text message sent by our reporter.
DAILY TRUST