Bandits Tuesday shot dead the 82-year-old district head of Balle, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu. Balle is the headquarters of Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State which had been peaceful before Tuesday’s attack.

The bandits, who, according to a witness account, came on six motorcycles, set the divisional police headquarter in the area, patrol and some personal vehicles on fire. The assailants also killed an unidentified policeman along Karfen Sarki area.

Another witness told Daily Trust that the attackers invaded the area around 4pm on Tuesday and operated till after 5pm. “The whole area was thrown into commotion with people fleeing into the nearby bush for safety including my wives and children,” he said.

A health worker in the area, who sought anonymity, said the attackers stormed the house of the district head after setting the police station on fire. “They scaled through the fence of the house because it was locked, dragged the district head who was at the time resting in his room, outside and shot him dead.

“It is like they came with a mission to attack the station and kill the district head and we are suspecting they were led by an insider who is conversant with the area because this is the first time we experienced such an attack,” he said.

He refuted that the district head was slaughtered by the bandits, saying they shot him in the head. “I met him in the pool of his blood, reciting Kalmat before he finally died.”

Normalcy was later restored in the area by the combined security forces that arrived in the night; while the deceased were buried in accordance with the Islamic rites. The slain district head is survived by two wives, eight children and many grandchildren.

Member representing the area at the State House of Assembly, Alhaji Faruk Balle, who confirmed the attack, described the incident as shocking because Balle used to be the most peaceful area in the state. He called on the government to take decisive measures that would end banditry in the country. The spokesman of the state police command, Muhammad Sadiq, also confirmed the incident, but said he could not provide further information as of the time of filing this report. (Daily Trust)

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