CITIZENS COMPASS— Many heavily armed bandits have reportedly disguised themselves as Military men to launch an attack on the Unguwan Lalle community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing four residents in the process.
The victims were identified as Bilyaminu Wakkala and Danbaki Tulunawa, while the identities of two other victims from neighbouring Kongurus village were yet to be fully confirmed.
Reports said the bandits wore clothes suspected to be Military uniforms during the attack which lasted for six hours.
The attackers, estimated by residents to be about 200, reportedly invaded the community at about 8:00 p.m. on Sunday and operated until about 2:00 a.m. on Monday, killing residents, looting homes and shops, and carting away an unspecified number of livestock.
Sources within the community said that residents were taken aback upon discovery that the bandits were not Military men, “We initially believed they were soldiers because they were dressed in military uniforms. But within moments, they surrounded the village.
Residents explained that both victims from Kongurus often spent their nights in from Kongurus often spent their nights in Unguwan Lalle because of persistent attacks on their own community, returning home only during the daytime.
Survivors said the attack came less than an hour after soldiers who had responded to an earlier security incident left the village.
According to a resident, troops arrived in two armoured vehicles following the reported killing of a farmer by suspected bandits earlier on Sunday.
The soldiers responded promptly and remained in the village until about 8:00 p.m. Barely minutes after they departed, the bandits returned, this time dressed as soldiers,” the resident said.
He alleged that the attackers deliberately avoided the main highway, where a military checkpoint was located and instead infiltrated the community through bush paths before strategically positioning fighters armed with Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs).
“They came in through alternative routes and stationed men carrying RPGs at strategic points. The first person they killed was a motorcyclist. Three others who tried to flee were also shot dead. They repeatedly searched our homes and even threatened to kill my mother when she stepped out of her room,” he recounted.
Repeated calls to the Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, and the lawmaker representing Sabon Birni North Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Aminu Boza, were not answered.
However, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, explained that he had only received a report confirming the earlier killing of a farmer and had not yet been officially briefed on the late-night attack in Unguwan Lalle.
“I have received information confirming the killing of one person in the area on Sunday, but I am yet to receive any official briefing regarding the reported attack on the community,” the police spokesperson said.
—Sahara Reporters
