Bandits Slaughter Father, Sons, 9 Others In Sokoto

Bandits Slaughter Father, Sons, 9 Others In Sokoto

Over 12 villagers have been confirmed dead following a bloody attack launched by suspected bandits on Lajinge village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, with six victims reportedly burnt alive during the assault.

Residents said the gunmen stormed the community around 11 p.m. on Saturday and remained there until about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, carrying out the attack without any reported security intervention.

A resident, who doesn’t want to be quoted, said 11 of the victims died from gunshot wounds, while a woman identified as Agada reportedly died after suffering severe shock during the incident.

According to the resident, six victims lost their lives after the attackers set ablaze the room where they had sought refuge.

“They ordered those inside to come out but they refused. The attackers then poured petrol on the room and opened fire. When those inside attempted to escape through the door, they kept shooting at them. Their bodies were left inside the burning room,” he said.

The deceased in the fire were identified as the head of the family, Mallam Wauro, popularly known as Mallam Roro; his two sons, Ukasha and Mujaheed; two relatives, Sufyanu and Sani Shanbami; and an internally displaced person (IDP) who had been living in the house.

The source further disclosed that another victim, Lawwali, was shot dead at the entrance of the same residence while attempting to escape, raising the number of deaths recorded within the compound to seven.

He added that the remaining victims were killed while fleeing the village. They included Yusuf and three internally displaced persons who had taken shelter in Lajinge.

Another resident, who participated in the community’s vigilante operation, said local guards were stationed near the village primary school when the attackers struck.

“We were at the primary school guarding the village when we suddenly heard heavy gunfire. We all ran for safety and kept moving from one hiding place to another whenever the shooting came closer,” he said.

According to him, the bandits overwhelmed the local vigilantes before moving from one house to another, rustling cattle and sheep.

“They stationed one of their rifles in a strategic location that kept firing while the others entered houses to steal livestock,” he said.

He also alleged that the assailants later attacked the residence of Mallam Wauro, where they killed him and two of his sons, abducted his two wives and made away with all his cattle.

Residents said they were unable to immediately determine the total number of people abducted, noting that although many villagers were taken away, some of them, particularly children, were later released by the attackers.

The community expressed frustration over what they described as the absence of security response despite the attack lasting for nearly four hours.

“The bandits stayed in our village for hours without any intervention. They even walked along the main road laughing and smoking cigarettes as if they had conquered the community,” one of the residents said.

The villagers also alleged that security personnel stationed in Unguwar Lalle and Dan Tudu, both about two kilometres from Lajinge, failed to respond despite repeated distress calls.

They said community leaders had consistently appealed to the government for the deployment of security personnel to the area, but their requests had not yielded results.

Residents also recalled that eight people were killed in the same community about three weeks ago.

Appealing to the authorities for urgent intervention, one resident said:

“We are Nigerians and we have voter cards. We elected the government to protect our lives and property. We are pleading with the authorities to deploy security personnel to safeguard our communities.”

Sokoto state police command is yet to issue an official statement in respect to the development.