Hyacinth Chinweuba
Deadly armed bandits on Wednesday killed at least 60 people in three villages of Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The bandits came from Tsabrawa area around 4pm in Volkswagen Golf and over 20 motorcycles, and spent several hours shooting.
A witness, Mamuda Sani, said the hoodlums first stopped at the major village in the area, Garki, and killed 22.
“They shot everybody at sight, we counted 22 bodies in Garki alone,” he said.
Mr Sani added that the bandits also attacked Kuzari, Dan’aduwa and Katuma villages, killing dozens.
“They killed 23 people in Kuzari, 13 people in Dan’aduwa and eight people in Katuma villages,” he said.
A health worker who preferred not to be named said “over 70 people have been killed in the attack” and dozens of bodies have been deposited at General Hospital, Sabon Birni.
Spokesman for Sokoto Police Command, Mohammed Abubakar, did not answer when it was placed on him.
According to a report compiled by Gobir Development Association, there is a renewed wave of attacks in about 50 villages of Sabon Birni, with an estimated 250 people either being killed, kidnapped or missing.
“From January 2019 to date, 50 communities have been attacked, more than 7,000 cattle, 13,000 sheep and goats, 1,800 houses, 16 markets have been lost to the bandits,” it said in part.