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No fewer than four people were killed and several others injured when suspected bandits dressed in military uniforms attacked Unguwan Lalle community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attack, which began at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, reportedly lasted until 2 a.m. on Monday, during which the assailants looted homes and shops and rustled an unspecified number of livestock.
Residents said the attackers operated for nearly six hours despite the presence of security personnel in the area earlier in the day.
The attackers also looted homes and shops and rustled an unspecified number of livestock during the late-night raid, residents said.
Locals told Daily Trust that the heavily armed assailants, estimated to be about 200, stormed the community from different directions, initially deceiving residents into believing they were security personnel.
“We thought they were soldiers because they were wearing military uniforms. They surrounded the village, opened fire on anyone trying to escape, ransacked our homes, carted away our livestock and looted goods from our shops,” a resident said.
The victims were identified as Bilyaminu Wakkala and Danbaki Tulunawa, while the two other deceased were residents of nearby Kongurus village.
According to residents, the two usually spent the night in Unguwan Lalle due to persistent insecurity in their community before returning home during the day.
Residents said the attack occurred less than an hour after troops who had earlier responded to a separate bandit attack withdrew from the village.
According to a resident, the military had arrived in two armoured vehicles after bandits allegedly killed a farmer earlier in the day.
“The soldiers responded quickly and stayed in the village until about 8 p.m. before returning to their base. Just a few minutes after they left, the bandits came back wearing military uniforms,” he said.
He added that the attackers struck while residents were observing the Isha prayer, avoiding the main road where a military checkpoint was located.
“They entered through other routes and positioned some of their men with RPGs at strategic locations. The first victim was a motorcycle rider, followed by three others who tried to flee. They searched our houses repeatedly and even threatened to shoot my mother when she came out of her room,” the resident recounted.
Efforts to obtain official reactions were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. The Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu, and the member representing Sabon Birni North Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Aminu Boza, did not respond to repeated telephone calls placed by our correspondent.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, confirmed the killing of a farmer in the area but said he had not been briefed on the reported attack on the community.
“I have received a report confirming the killing of one person in the area on Sunday. However, I have not yet been briefed about the other reported attack on the community,” he said.
