Bandits kill eight in Sokoto, abduct dozens, give conditions for peace

The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the killing of eight persons including two women, by suspected bandits who attacked the Taka Lime community of Goronyo Local Government Area of the state on Monday night.

The State Police Command spokesman, ASP Sanusi Abubakar who confirmed the incident on Tuesday morning, said an unspecified number of people were also abducted by the bandits who rode into the community in a convoy of motorcycles and shot sporadically in different directions, killing the victims and abducting the others.

“Yes, the police is aware of the attack on Taka Lime village by the bandits but the police is on top of the situation. The Commissioner of Police has dispatched a team of crack officers to the troubled area to prevent a breakdown of law and order,” Abubakar said.

It was also learnt that the bandits gave the community a condition for peace which is the immediate payment of N10 million as a ransom for some of the abducted villagers and another N10 million levy on the entire community for daring to resist the attack on their village.

A resident of Taka lime village who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he lost his wife and daughter who were killed in the attack despite efforts by the community to ward off the attackers.

“We came out with all sorts of weapons at our disposal to confront the attackers and we succeeded in killing three of them and apprehending one.

“When they realised that three of their colleagues were killed by the villagers, they killed eight of their captives as a reprisal.

“The most unfortunate thing was that one of the bandits we killed lived with us in the village with his parents.