No fewer than 11 residents have been abducted and two others killed after suspected bandits carried out separate attacks on two communities in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attacks occurred in Taloka and Huda communities, with residents describing the latest incidents as another indication of the persistent security challenges confronting the area.
In Taloka, the attackers reportedly arrived around 12:30am on Tuesday in their numbers, riding motorcycles and firing shots as they moved from one house to another.
A resident said the gunmen initially targeted a room where several young men usually slept. Although most of the occupants escaped, the assailants reportedly succeeded in taking one person away.
The attackers later invaded the residence of an elderly man, Alhaji Yusuf, where they abducted him, his daughter and daughter-in-law. One of his nephews, identified as Abdullahi Dan Almajiri, was reportedly killed during the raid.
The gang also allegedly abducted two married women from the home of Mallam Gado Dan Tsohuwa before moving to the residence of Alu Kansila, where they took away his two children, a boy and a girl.
After being taken away with the other victims, Yusuf reportedly told the bandits that he could no longer continue the journey because of his age.
The assailants were said to have killed him and left his body behind. Residents later recovered and buried the corpse.
A separate attack was reported in Huda, where farmers were working on their farms around 9:30am on Monday when the armed men reportedly appeared and forced some of them onto motorcycles.
A resident said five members of the community were initially taken away, although one was subsequently released.
Those reportedly abducted were identified as Samaila Salisu, Musa Abdu, Naziru Saidu and Dan Abu Abdulkarim, while Basiru Bawa was said to have regained his freedom.
The resident alleged that the community had suffered repeated attacks, claiming that bandits previously killed several residents and abducted 46 people during Ramadan.
According to him, the victims were later released after their families and community members allegedly paid N12m and surrendered three motorcycles as ransom.
He described the latest incident as the 11th attack suffered by the community.
When contacted, the Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he was unaware of the reported attacks.
Rufa’i, however, promised to verify the development with the Divisional Police Officer in Goronyo and provide further details.
Meanwhile, the police command said it had arrested two suspected kidnappers in separate operations and rescued a 10-year-old boy, Muhammad Sufiyanu, who was abducted in Gidan Madi, Tangaza Local Government Area.
Rufa’i said one of the suspects, Abdullahi Buba, also known as Osho, was arrested on August 8 during a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in Tudun Doki, Gwadabawa Local Government Area.
He said preliminary investigations indicated that Buba was allegedly part of a kidnapping syndicate involved in abductions and the imposition of illegal levies on communities in Gwadabawa, Kware and Gada local government areas.
The police spokesman added that Sufiyanu was rescued on Tuesday after detectives intercepted two men riding a motorcycle and carrying a sack.
According to him, the suspects fled when they sighted the operatives, abandoning the sack, from which the boy was subsequently rescued alive.
He said one suspect had been taken into custody while investigations into the case continued.