Bandits kill mad man, abduct 28 in Sokoto

Bandits killed three people and abducted 28 others during an attack on Kagara community in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Saturday night.

The attack, which started at about 8:58pm, lasted for about three hours, with residents saying the gunmen continued shooting until around 12:00am.

One of the victims killed was Abdullahi Lawwali, a mentally ill man who, according to a resident, had previously received treatment at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kware, Sokoto State.

The resident said Lawwali was killed after he refused to follow the attackers when they attempted to abduct him.

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He said the attackers also abducted seven people from Lawwali’s house.

A resident whose family members were among those taken away said he narrowly escaped the attack after hiding when the gunmen invaded the community.

He said he had observed I’sha prayer at Mallam Liman Alu Mosque, returned home, ate and locked his house before going back to the Islamic school very close to the Mosque.

According to him, he had spent only about seven minutes at the place when he heard gunshots from the direction of the community hospital.

He said the attackers shot Alhaji Sani, whose house is close to the hospital, before moving further into the community.

The resident said he later hid in another location and returned home at about 12am, where he discovered that six members of his household had been taken away.

They included his wife, Hassana; his daughter-in-law, Marliyya; his son, Atiku; his daughters, Jamila and Amina; and his neighbour’s daughter, Yajja.

He said his wife and two daughters had since been released, adding that his wife told him that the abductors took them as far as Danjiro village.

Another resident said the attackers abducted 28 people during the attack but later released 10 of them, who had returned to their homes Sunday Morning.

He also told daily trust that two other persons were released in the afternoon, bringing the number of the abducted victims to 16.

He said seven people were also abducted from the house of Abdullahi Dan Abu, while another seven were taken from the house of Mallam Lawwali.

He said the mentally ill man Lawalli was killed after refusing to go with the attackers.

The resident added that 3 people out of the seven abducted from one househould had returned home Sunday Morning.

He said Maryam Tukur, his elder brother’s wife, was also among those taken away.

He stated that three people were killed during the attack, including Ummaru Gobir, Lawwali Idi na Abu and Abdullahi Lawwali, while Lawwali Musa and two others sustained gunshot injuries and were receiving treatment at Goronyo hospital.

“I can confirm to you that they abducted 28 and released 10 in the morning and two in the afternoon. The remaining 16 people are still there with them.”

The residents appealed to authorities to deploy more security personnel to Kagara, saying the community remained vulnerable to further attacks.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, confirmed that three people were killed and nine others abducted during the attack.

He said all the nine abducted persons had escaped from captivity, while one dead body was recovered at the scene.