By Ado Oyeyemi
A midnight raid by suspected bandits on Lajinge community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State has left no fewer than 12 people dead, including a man and his two sons who were burnt alive after their house was set ablaze.
Residents said the heavily armed attackers stormed the village at about 11pm on Saturday, unleashing terror for several hours as they shot residents, torched houses, rustled livestock and abducted an unspecified number of villagers.
According to eyewitnesses, the attackers did not leave the community until about 3:30am on Sunday, despite repeated calls for security intervention.
One of the residents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said 11 victims died from gunshot wounds, while a woman, identified simply as Agada, reportedly died after going into shock during the attack.
He explained that six of the victims lost their lives after taking refuge inside a room that was later set on fire by the gunmen.
“They demanded that those hiding inside should come out, but when nobody responded, they doused the room with petrol and set it ablaze,” the resident said.
“Anyone who attempted to escape was shot, while the others were trapped inside the burning building.”
Those killed in the fire were identified as Mallam Wauro, popularly called Mallam Roro, his sons, Ukasha and Mujaheed, two relatives, Sufyanu and Sani Shanbami, as well as an internally displaced person who had sought shelter in the house.
The source added that another resident, Lawwali, was gunned down while trying to flee from the same compound.
He said the other victims, including Yusuf and three internally displaced persons, were shot dead while escaping from different parts of the village.
A member of the local vigilante group said they were stationed near the village primary school when the bandits launched the attack.
“We heard gunshots from different directions and had to retreat because we were outnumbered. We kept moving from one location to another to avoid being killed,” he said.
He alleged that after overpowering the local security volunteers, the attackers freely moved around the community, stealing cattle, sheep and other valuables.
“They positioned armed men to provide cover while others entered homes to cart away livestock,” he alleged.
He further claimed that after killing Mallam Wauro and two of his sons, the gunmen abducted the deceased’s two wives before fleeing with their cattle.
Residents said they were still compiling the number of people abducted, noting that although several villagers were taken away, some children were later released by the attackers.
The villagers lamented that security operatives failed to respond throughout the four-hour attack despite repeated distress calls.
“We kept calling for help, but no security personnel came. The bandits operated freely and left without any resistance,” one resident said.
They also disclosed that the community had suffered a similar attack about three weeks earlier, during which eight people were reportedly killed.
Appealing to the authorities, another resident said, “We are law-abiding citizens and deserve protection. We urge the government to deploy adequate security personnel to prevent further attacks on our community.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said he had not been briefed on the incident and would verify the report.
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He had yet to provide an official update as of the time this report was filed.
