Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed an imam and three other residents and abducted 12 persons during a midnight attack on Illela Dawagware village in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attackers, said to be about 30 in number, reportedly stormed the community on nine motorcycles at about 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, firing sporadically and operating for nearly 30 minutes before fleeing with their victims.
Residents said the gunmen first invaded the residence of the village imam before killing him and three others. They thereafter moved from house to house, abducting eight women and four men.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said villagers attempted to resist the attack but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the assailants.
“They killed our imam, his neighbour and another resident before abducting 12 people, comprising eight women and four men,” the source said.
The slain victims were identified as Mallam Liman Lawwali Na Ande, Lawwali Na Lami and Abdullahi Haruna, while those kidnapped included Amiru, Hauwa, Awwalu and nine others.
Another resident, Alhaji Samaila, reportedly sustained a gunshot wound that fractured his hand and is receiving treatment at a health facility in Sokoto.
The residents also accused security operatives of failing to respond to distress calls during the attack.
According to the source, villagers contacted security personnel in Goronyo and even offered to provide fuel for their vehicles, but no reinforcement arrived before the attackers fled.
The latest incident, according to the residents, marks the 24th attack on the community.
The source recalled that bandits had invaded the village about two years ago, killing seven members of the same family inside a mosque, forcing many residents to flee.
He added that some displaced villagers had only returned to the community last Sunday after spending nearly two years away.
Another resident, who attended the burial of the slain imam, said fear had gripped the community, with many inhabitants deciding to abandon the village at night.
“They have resolved to sleep at the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Goronyo because they fear another attack,” he said.
The residents appealed to the Federal Government, Sokoto State Government and security agencies to urgently strengthen security in the area and end the recurring attacks.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to text messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
The attack comes days after another bandit raid in Kuda-Kuda village, also in Goronyo Local Government Area, where a chief imam was killed and nine residents were abducted, underscoring the growing insecurity in the area.
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