Breaking: Bandits Kill 5, Injure 3, Abduct Many in Sokoto’s Kebbe LGA Amid N40m Levy Threat
Breaking: Bandits Kill 5, Injure 3, Abduct Many in Sokoto’s Kebbe LGA Amid N40m Levy Threat
From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto
Suspected bandits have killed five persons, injured three and abducted an unspecified number of residents of Girkau town* in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Reliable local sources said the bandits unleashed mayhem on Girkau town and its environs on *Thursday evening*.
The sources added that the gunmen were still hiding in the precincts of the area, heavily armed.
It was also learnt that the attack came amid a reported N40 million levy imposed on Kebbe town to avoid an imminent attack scheduled for Friday.
The Spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our Correspondent on Friday.
“Yes, it is true that the bandits have struck in the area. There is already an ongoing operation by the combined security forces to rout out the bandits from the area and free the abductees,” he said.
Rufai added: “There is however no fatality on the side of the security forces while I cannot immediately confirm whether any of the bandits has been neutralized.
“The security forces are however doing their possible best to bring normalcy to the area, other parts of Kebbe LGA and the generality of Sokoto State.”
Also confirming the development, the Spokesperson of the 8th Division, Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Olaniyi Osoba, said troops had since been deployed to Kebbe town.
“So, if you see the deployment of additional troops and military assets in the area, it is just to reinforce the operation,” Osoba told our Correspondent in another telephone interview on Friday.
The latest attack adds to growing security concerns in Sokoto’s eastern senatorial district, where banditry, kidnapping and imposition of levies on communities have become frequent.
Residents have called on the Federal and State Governments to intensify security operations to protect lives and property and ensure the safe rescue of those abducted.
