Close to sixty people have been killed at a recent attack launched by suspected armed bandits on Wednesday in some villages of Sabon Birni local government area of Sokoto State.
Eye witnesses confirmed that, the suspected bandits spent hours conducting operations without being confronted by the security agencies.
Also one confided source said, a woman and three bandits died at another separate attack in Gwadabawa local government area of Sokoto State.
A source who visited the scene of the incidence yesterday night told BBC huasa service that, around 3-5:00pm yesterday they have received an information that some suspected bandits riding on over one hundred motorcycles left a forest in Isah and headed toward the affected villages.
“After receiving the information we reported quickly to the police but up to the time when the bandits reached Garki and Dan Addua villages”.
He further informed BBC that, while at Dan-addua village he has counted 13 dead bodies even though people of the village have gone for search of the remaining corpses. While in Garki village he has counted another 19 dead bodies and even snap their pictures.
The confided source further explained that, while in Kuzari village the bandits have killed 20 people including the Imam of the village. Same thing a total of 6 persons were killed while two persons were shot at Masawa village.
He claimed that, the total number of dead bodies he has counted are almost up to 60 in these affected villages.
He opined that, bandits and suspected kidnappers are responsible for the attack noting that, few days back precisely on the Sallah Eve, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has paid a condolence visit to the people of Sabon Birni over an attack which left 19 people dead.
On whether security agencies have responded to the intelligence report by going to these villages when the attack was on going the source explained that, “they did but the fact remain that, the police cannot match those bandits because the weapons used by the bandits are more deadlier than those of the police”.
He further said, the number of the bandits has over powered that of the police so they can face them.
Haruna Shehu Tangaza from BBC contacted the Sokoto State Police Command Public Relations Officer for comment but he said he is not informed of the attack.
Recently, International Crises Group released it’s report where it reveals that, over 8000 people were killed in the recent banditry crises in the North West geo-political zone within ten years.
