Bandits Kill Two, Abduct 11 in Separate Sokoto Attacks
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
Two people have been killed while 11 others were abducted in separate attacks by suspected bandits on Taloka and Huda communities in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attacks reportedly occurred on Monday and Tuesday, with the assailants targeting residents and farmers in the affected communities.
A resident of Taloka told Daily Trust that dozens of armed bandits, riding about 20 motorcycles, stormed the community around 12:30am on Tuesday, firing gunshots and moving from house to house.
The attackers reportedly entered a room where youths usually sleep, but the occupants managed to escape. However, one of them was abducted.
The bandits later invaded the residence of Alhaji Yusuf, abducting him, his daughter and daughter-in-law, while killing his nephew, identified as Abdullahi Dan Almajiri.
They also abducted two married women from the residence of Mallam Gado Dan Tsohuwa and subsequently took away two children, a boy and a girl, from the home of Alu Kansila.
The resident said eight people had been taken away when Alhaji Yusuf told the attackers that he could no longer continue with them because of his advanced age. The bandits reportedly killed him and left his body behind. Residents later recovered and buried the corpse.
In a separate incident at Huda village, bandits reportedly attacked farmers working on their farmlands around 9:30am on Monday.
A resident said the attackers abducted five members of the community, although one of the victims was later released.
The victims were identified as Samaila Salisu, Musa Abdu, Naziru Saidu and Dan Abu Abdulkarim, while Basiru Bawa was reportedly released by the bandits.
The resident alleged that the community had suffered several previous attacks, including the abduction of 46 residents during Ramadan. According to him, the victims were released after a ransom of ₦12 million and three motorcycles were paid.
He described the latest incident as the 11th attack on the community.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said he was not aware of the incidents but promised to verify the reports through the Divisional Police Officer in Goronyo.
As of the time of filing this report, the police spokesperson had not provided further details on the attacks.
