Bandits have reportedly abducted an unspecified number of Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso in Gada local government area of Sokoto state in the early hours of Saturday.
Liman Abubakar, the proprietor of the school, informed our reporter that 15 students were unaccounted for thus far, stating, “We are still counting.”
He recounted how the bandits invaded the town around 1 am, shooting one person and abducting a woman. Abubakar explained, “As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them. We have so far counted 15 who are missing and we are still searching for more.”
Abubakar emphasized that this was not the first time the village had been attacked by bandits.
Kabiru Dauda, the member representing Gada-East Constituency at the state House of Assembly, confirmed the attack, noting that he received a distress call from the village around 2 am. He assured, “I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies, and I am sure they are doing something about it.”
In a separate incident, bandits attacked and killed three individuals at Turba village in Isa Local Government Area of the state, including the village head. Habibu Modachi, the representative of Isa Constituency, affirmed the occurrence, suggesting it could be a reprisal following recent security operations targeting bandits’ hideouts.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, expressed unawareness of the situation but pledged to liaise with the Divisional Police Officer of the affected local government areas and furnish our reporter with updates.
The attacks occurred amidst the state’s ongoing graduation of its Community Guards Corps, an initiative aimed at combating banditry as part of the state government’s efforts to enhance security.
