Tears, Pain in Sokoto Community as 26 Villagers Drown During Bandits, Operatives Shootout

• Twenty-six villagers from the Duma community in Tureta local government area of Sokoto have been confirmed dead
• The residents were said to have drowned during a gun battle between suspected terrorists and security agencies operating around the community
• Also, the police have also debunked claims that the recovered bodies of the victims of the gun battle were riddled with bullets from the bandits

An attack by some bandits in Duma village in Tureta local government area of Sokoto state has led to the death of about 26 people, Daily Trust reports.

The victims of the attack were said to be drowned during a shootout between the bandits and some security operatives in the area.

According to sources, residents were trying to escape from the area of the attack which took place on Wednesday, July 27, in a nearby bush when they drowned.

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The sources also said that security operatives under Operation Hadarin Daji engaged the bandits who rustled livestock in some communities in the neighbouring Zamfara state.

Police confirm the incident

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Sokoto state command, Sanusi Abubakar noted that residents had heard gunshots in the forest and spotted some of the dislodged bandits.

He said that some of the residents went into a panic while others were running helter-skelter seeking a safe haven.

His words:

“They thought the fleeing bandits were coming to attack them. They started running helter-skelter as a result of which some of them got drowned. Twenty-six lifeless bodies were later recovered and buried.”

He further noted that a joint operation was ongoing in the community to condone off the area and ensure that there were no bandits hiding in some place.

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Abubakar also debunked reports that some of the residents were shot by the bandits, saying there was no gunshot injury on any of the recovered corpses.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal reacts

Sending condolences to families of the victims whose bodies have been recovered and the villagers, the governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal assured the people of the area that the government and security agencies were doing their best to ensure peace in the state.

Accompanied by all the security chiefs from the Army, Air Force, Nigeria Police, and the Department of State Service, Tambuwal said he visited on behalf of the government and people of the state to commiserate with them over the incident.

He also appealed to the residents of the village for more cooperation from the security agencies and also prayed to Allah to continue giving them victory over the bandits and other criminal elements.

Tambuwal while directing the immediate release of relief materials to those in the Internally Displaced Person said:

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“We must therefore expose them even if those concerned are your relations. You are obliged to expose them for the community to have peace."

Update: 20 kidnapped traders of popular phone market regain freedom, 30 still in hostage

Another tragedy had hit Nigeria again following the abduction of 50 traders somewhere in Gasau, Zamfara state.

The victims were said to be smartphones and phone accessories, traders in a popular accessory market called Bebeji Plaza.

However, the Zamfara police confirmed the incident stating that 20 persons out of the 50 abducted victims were.

Niger state government makes progress in flushing out terrorists

In the neighbouring state over 200 bandits were killed in Niger state between Sunday, February 27, and Tuesday, March 1 in a joint security operation.

Umar told journalists during a press briefing in Minna on Wednesday, March 2 that it was a major victory for the state in its fight against terrorists and bandits.

He said a total of eighty (80) motorcycles were recovered while some cattle were also returned to their owners.

Source: Legit.ng