At least 23 persons have been killed in Kebbi, Katsina and Taraba states respectively by terrorists.
A group armed with sophisticated weapons suspected to be Lakurawa bandits have attacked and killed 16 people and rustled many cows in Tungan Taura and Tungan Ladan villages in the Augie local government area of Kebbi State.
One Alhaji Muhammed Augie, a resident of the area, revealed this to LEADERSHIP in an interview in Augie.
Augie added that the bandits attacked the two villages on Sunday and exchanged gun battles with vigilantes but overpowered them, killing 16 people, including the vigilante members and ran into the forest.
The Kebbi State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Nafi’u Abubakar, confirmed the attack in a statement he issued on Monday. He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M Sani, has condemned the unfortunate incident and ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical units of police personnel to the villages.
The statement further indicated the command’s commitment and readiness to combat banditry activities and other crimes in the state.
It, however, noted that the dispatched personnel has since restored normalcy in the villages.
Suspected bandits have also killed four people and abducted at least 45 others in Maikuma village, Dandume local government area of Katsina State.
The attack occurred late Sunday night when a large group of gunmen on motorcycles, armed with automatic weapons, stormed the community.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers moved from house to house, operating for several hours before fleeing into the nearby forest with their captives.
While the Katsina State Police spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, is yet to comment officially, the chairman of Dandume LGA, Basiru Musa, confirmed the incident.
“The bandits came in large numbers, possibly over 100. Their aim was clearly to cause as much harm as possible,” Musa said.
“They killed four people and abducted around 43 residents, though some reports suggest the number could be 45 or more.”
He said he had alerted both the Divisional Police Officer and the local military commander upon receiving intelligence of a possible attack.
Despite a swift response, security forces could not chase the bandits beyond their jurisdiction.
Musa expressed concern over the recurring attacks and urged authorities to bolster security measures to protect vulnerable communities across the state better.
As of the time of filing this report, concerned authorities have yet to make an official statement. However, the state government has spent billions in empowering local youth to curtail the menace of banditry across the front-line local government areas of the state.
Meanwhile, no fewer than three fish traders from the Logo local government area of Benue State were slaughtered on Saturday in Alufu village, an area under the Wukari local government area of Taraba State, by suspected militias.
The chairman of Logo local government area, Hon Clement Kav, confirmed the killing of the three fish traders to newsmen yesterday, stating that the traders were killed by people who invited them to come and buy fish in Taraba State.
While speaking with journalists, Kav said, “Five of the fish traders from Ukembelegywa ward of Logo local government area of Benue state received a call on Saturday from someone to go and buy fish in a village after Alufu in Taraba state.
“The first three traders followed one path to go for the fish while the two others were behind; on reaching Alufu, the first three persons were apprehended by a group of people believed to be militias; they tied their hands at the back, slaughtered them with a knife.
“Having discovered what happened to their brothers, the remaining two traders ran and escaped the scene; one of the escapees, Mrs Tabitha Atoo, is the one that came back with the news to inform us,” Logo local government chairman, stated.
Kav also said he immediately called his counterpart, the Wukari local government council chairman, Hon. Dauda Smaila, to inform him of the incident.
“I quickly called my brother, the Wukari local government council chairman, to inform him of the incident; he urged me to ask the people to take the incident report to Alufu police station,” Kav stated.
The chairman of Wukari local government area, Hon. Dauda Smaila, did not pick up several phone calls made to his mobile phone by our correspondent, and he did not also reply to the SMS sent to him to confirm the incident.
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