Bandits have abducted nine residents, shot another and rustled over 200 livestock during an attack on Illelar Dawagari community in Kagara Ward, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to a resident, the gunmen invaded the community at about 8:30 pm on Saturday.
He said one of the victims of the shooting, Saminu Arzika, had gone outside the community to defecate when he noticed the shadows of the bandits.
He said Arzika flashed his torch at them and saw the bandits, adding that when he attempted to shine the light on them again, they ordered that he be shot.
He said Arzika ran towards the community, but the bandits chased him and shot him, with the gunshot alerting residents who fled into the nearby bush for safety.
The resident said he had also just finished eating at home when he went out to buy medicine.
He said after leaving the shop, he proceeded to another shop to buy a bottle of mineral drink when he heard the gunshot.
He said he immediately ran for safety, jumping over walls of houses until he escaped into the bush.
The resident said the bandits continued their operation until about 11 pm, going from house to house and rustling livestock estimated at more than 200.
He said the attackers also abducted nine people, comprising five males and four females.
Among those abducted, he said, were Maryam Yusuf, Rukayya Abdu and a widow, Maryam Abdullahi, while the remaining victims were children aged between 10 and 15 years, whose names he could not identify.
He said another resident was currently in captivity after his family paid N1 million ransom, but the abductors were demanding a Bajaj motorcycle before releasing him.
When contacted for comment, the Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said he would check and provide details of the attack.
But as of the time of filing this report, he had not responded.
Kagara Ward in Goronyo Local Government Area has continued to face security challenges, with residents reporting repeated attacks in the area.
In June, the Chief imams of Dawagari and Kuda-Kuda villages were killed while some residents were abducted.
