No fewer than 23 residents of Gajit Village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State have been abducted by suspected bandits following a night raid on the community.
The assailants, said to be heavily armed, invaded Gajit Village at about 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, taking advantage of the darkness to carry out the attack, according to Daily Trust
A relative of some of the victims said the attackers tactically bypassed local vigilance efforts and penetrated the village before commencing the abductions.
“We usually defend our village from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. This time, the bandits allowed us to fall asleep before attacking the community and abducting many people,” he said.
He disclosed that 27 people, including women and children, were initially taken away during the raid, adding that one adult male and three children were later released, leaving 23 persons still in captivity.
The source further lamented what he described as inadequate response from security agencies, alleging that repeated calls for reinforcement during the attack were ignored.
Other residents who spoke with our correspondent appealed to the government to urgently deploy additional security personnel to the area, saying the community is gripped by fear and uncertainty.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Police Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to phone calls or a text message as of the time this report was filed.
