Suspected bandits have killed two people, wounded four others and kidnapped nine residents, including two pregnant women and three children, in a fresh attack on Barayar Zaki community in Kwargaba Ward, Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attackers, believed to be more than 20, invaded the village shortly after heavy rainfall on Sunday. They operated from about 10pm until 12:40am on Monday.
A resident, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, said villagers fled into the nearby bush as soon as the gunmen arrived and only returned after they had gone.
“We started hearing sporadic gunshots immediately they arrived, forcing everyone to run into the nearby bush. When we came back, we found that they had killed two people, injured four others and abducted nine residents,” he said.
Those killed were identified as Abubakar Musa and Bello Madubi. The injured victims were Hamisu Garba, Usman Sani, Lawali Mamman and Isah Bako, who suffered gunshot wounds.
The resident said the abducted victims were six women and three men, including two pregnant women and three children. He also said the attackers made away with many livestock during the raid.
According to the source, the latest attack came less than 10 days after bandits struck the nearby Arba and Koliyal communities, killing one person and abducting 12 others.
He said insecurity has continued to grow across communities in Kwargaba Ward, adding that more than 60 residents are still being held by bandits. He explained that 11 of those in captivity were taken from Arba community, about 35 from Gidan Modi despite the release of eight victims after ransom payments, while seven people kidnapped from Sabon Garin Daje are yet to regain their freedom.
The resident urged the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to strengthen security in the area, saying people could no longer sleep peacefully because of repeated attacks.
“We try to defend our communities whenever they attack, but they have superior weapons and always overpower us. Most of the people we lose are killed while confronting the attackers because no security help comes. We are pleading with the government to look at our communities with compassion before the situation gets worse,” he said.
