A NEWLY recruited teacher in Sokoto State, Maniru Sa’adu Imam, has been killed by suspected bandits hours after reportedly attending a salary verification exercise in Sokoto metropolis.
News Point Nigeria reports that Imam, 30, and a father of one, was killed alongside two other people on Wednesday when gunmen ambushed vehicles travelling along the Gundumi-Isa road.
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The other victims were identified as Abdurrahman Umar, the driver of the vehicle conveying them, and his five-year-old son, Abubakar Abdurrahman.
A witness, Malam Kabiru Isa, told our reporter that the victims were travelling behind a convoy of vehicles returning to Isa under heavy security escort when the incident occurred.
According to him, residents of Isa visit Sokoto metropolis only twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, because of the prevailing security situation in the area.
He said the convoy had departed at about 4pm on Wednesday when some vehicles, including the one conveying the victims, returned to their usual meeting point after the others had left.
“We wanted to wait for everyone who had travelled with us, but the security operatives insisted that we leave early, so we left them behind,” he said.
Isa explained that as the convoy approached Gundumi, the security personnel escorting them spotted a group of suspected bandits and opened fire, forcing the gunmen to flee.
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However, he said the assailants later laid an ambush for vehicles travelling behind the convoy and opened fire on their occupants.
“They killed three people, including Imam, the driver and his son. They also injured three others, while one passenger is still missing,” he said.
Isa added that the deceased were buried on Thursday morning following the attack.
He disclosed that Imam was among teachers recently recruited by the Sokoto State Government and posted to Government Day Secondary School, Maitandu.
According to him, the deceased had yet to receive his first salary and travelled to Sokoto metropolis on Wednesday to participate in a verification exercise ahead of the commencement of payment.
“He had not started receiving his salary. In fact, he went to Sokoto for the verification exercise ahead of their payment,” Isa said.
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Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Sokoto State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesman, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, did not respond to calls from our reporter.
The attack adds to security concerns along the Gundumi-Isa road, where residents reportedly depend on scheduled trips to Sokoto metropolis because of the security situation in the area.
