Bandits kill father, nephew, abduct 11 in Sokoto attacks

Bandits have killed two people and abducted 11 others in separate attacks on Taloka and Huda communities in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A resident of Taloka told Daily Trust that dozens of armed men riding about 20 motorcycles invaded the community around 12:30am on Tuesday, firing shots and moving from house to house.

According to the resident, the attackers first entered a room where several youths usually slept, but the occupants managed to escape. One of them was, however, abducted.

The bandits subsequently invaded the residence of Alhaji Yusuf, where they abducted him, his daughter and daughter-in-law and killed one of his nephews, identified as Abdullahi Dan Almajiri.

They also reportedly abducted two married women from the home of Mallam Gado Dan Tsohuwa before taking two children, a boy and a girl, from the residence of Alu Kansila.

The resident said Yusuf later told the bandits that he could no longer continue with them because of his advanced age. The assailants reportedly killed him and abandoned his body, which was later recovered and buried by residents.

In a separate attack on Huda village, a resident said bandits stormed farmlands around 9:30am on Monday while farmers were working and abducted five members of the community.

The resident said the attackers forced some of the farmers onto their motorcycles before fleeing, adding that one of the abducted victims was later released.

He identified the victims as Samaila Salisu, Musa Abdu, Naziru Saidu and Dan Abu Abdulkarim, while Basiru Bawa was reportedly released.

The resident alleged that the community had suffered repeated attacks, including the abduction of 46 residents during Ramadan. He said the victims were later released after the payment of N12m ransom and three motorcycles.

He added that the latest incident was the 11th attack on the community.

When contacted, the Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said he was unaware of the attacks but promised to verify the reports with the Divisional Police Officer in Goronyo. He had yet to provide further details as of the time of filing the report.

Police arrest two suspected kidnappers, rescue 10-year-old boy

Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers in separate operations and rescued a 10-year-old boy abducted in Gidan Madi Town, Tangaza Local Government Area.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said in a statement on Wednesday that operatives arrested Abdullahi Buba, alias Osho, on August 8 during a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in Tudun Doki Village, Gwadabawa LGA.

He said preliminary investigations indicated that Buba was allegedly a member of a kidnapping syndicate involved in abductions and the imposition of illegal levies on communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada LGAs.

Rufa’i said the 10-year-old victim, identified as Muhammad Sufiyanu, was rescued on Tuesday after detectives intercepted two men riding a motorcycle and carrying a sack.

According to him, the suspects fled after sighting the operatives, abandoning the sack, in which the boy was found alive.

The police said one of the suspects had been arrested, while investigations were continuing to apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate.