Sokoto: Bandits killed in failed rescue attempt

Some bandits were reportedly killed on Thursday during a failed attempt to rescue one of their members, who had been arrested after robbing a commercial motorcyclist in Kurawa village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Local sources said the attack took place in the morning but was repelled by a joint effort of […]

Some bandits were reportedly killed on Thursday during a failed attempt to rescue one of their members, who had been arrested after robbing a commercial motorcyclist in Kurawa village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Local sources said the attack took place in the morning but was repelled by a joint effort of the Nigerian Army and local vigilantes.

A resident of Kurawa, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “On Wednesday, two men came to Kurawa village and hired a commercial motorcyclist to take them to Garki village. However, when they reached a village called Cinabarka, the passengers pulled out a gun and stole the motorcycle.

“The victim ran to Cinabarka and alerted the local vigilantes, who pursued the attackers. They managed to capture one of them while he was attempting to refuel the stolen motorcycle and handed him over to security operatives in Kurawa,” the source said.

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He further said the following day, a large group of bandits stormed the village in an attempt to free their captured accomplice. 

“During the attack, they killed two villagers in Fadama and another person from a neighbouring community.

“However, their mission was thwarted by the combined efforts of the army and vigilantes, who eliminated several of the assailants and captured two others,” he added.

A lawmaker from Sabon Birni, Alhaji Sa’idu Ibrahim, confirmed the attack and the number of casualties.

“You know they usually carry away the bodies of their dead, but our people sighted four of their corpses in the bush, while two were captured alive,” he said.

He commended the army for their prompt response, which prevented further casualties and damage.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he had not yet been briefed about the incident by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.