No fewer than 20 villagers have been abducted by bandits in the Wurno local government area of Sokoto state, residents said.
The bandits carried out simultaneous attacks Sunday night in the villages of Kwasare and Chacho, residents reported.
Wurno is one of the local government areas in Sokoto East where bandit activities have been on the rise. The area has witnessed kidnappings, murders and the burning of houses and shops.
Bandits recently set fire to a bus and several commuters during an attack.
Sirajo Saidu, a native of the area, said that five of his “blood brothers” were kidnapped by bandits in the latest incidents.
“The five men taken into our house are my brothers. The bandits did not kill anyone in our community, but they took many people away in that operation alone. We are waiting for them (bandits) to ask for the ransom. Please include my brothers and other victims in your prayers, ”he said.
Basharu Guyawa, coordinator of the human rights group Rundunar Adalci, said that as the attack on Kwasare continued, “another group of bandits attacked Chacho.”
“We are under siege by bandits. Yes, they (bandits) always attack us at will. In the Chacho attack, the locals told me that many people were kidnapped, countless domestic animals. They even took motorcycles belonging to the residents, ”Guyawa told Premium Times.
Due to the precarious security situation in the area, Premium Times has yet to verify the number of people allegedly abducted.
‘They kidnapped more than 20’
But a Sokoto-based journalist, Yusuf Gidan Dare, said that those kidnapped in the areas “numbered more than 20”.
He said 31 people were kidnapped between Saturday and Sunday night from four villages in the Wurno local government area.
Mr. Gidan Dare is from Wurno but lives in the metropolis of Sokoto.
ALSO READ: 14 kidnapped escape from bandit camp in Sokoto
“In just one week, more than 40 people have been kidnapped by these bandits and none of them have been released. This is only in my local government area (Wurno). This is getting too much because it is spreading like wildfire and I’m sure you know if these bandits can attack these communities that are not far from the city center, tell me who can save the metropolis of Sokoto?
“In the Kwasare attack, 12 people were kidnapped, eight in Barayar Zaki, four in Achida, three in Chacho and four in some villages,” he said when asked about the attack on Sunday.
The police The spokesperson in Sokoto, Sanusi Abubakar, did not respond to calls and was sent an SMS seeking information.
Nigeria is experiencing one of its worst phases of insecurity since the advent of democratic rule.
Many parts of the country are reeling under the activities of criminal gangs who attack, kill, maim and kidnap at will.