Suspected bandits have killed a 30-year-old man and abducted seven other residents of Tsamiya town in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The victim was identified by residents of the community as Shangi Kowa-dasa.

A resident, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, said the attackers invaded the town at about 2:00 am on Thursday.

“They came in large numbers, killed one man popularly known as Shangi Kowa-dasa, and abducted seven other people,” the source said.

Residents said the bandits had initially attempted to attack Tureta town, but were repelled by security operatives comprising the police anti-kidnapping unit and personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Another resident of Tureta said heavy gunfire was heard throughout the night as security forces engaged the attackers.

“We could not sleep because of the exchange of gunfire. The security operatives confronted them and prevented them from entering Tureta town.

“After failing to penetrate the town, they moved to the nearby Tsamiya community, where they killed one person and abducted seven others,” he said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he had not yet received a briefing on the incident but promised to obtain the details and respond later.

However, a senior police officer, who was not authorised to speak officially, confirmed that the command received a distress call indicating that armed bandits were planning to storm Tureta town.

“We received information that bandits were approaching Tureta, and our anti-kidnapping squad was immediately deployed to the area.

“The attack on Tureta was successfully foiled, and our personnel are still on the ground carrying out operations,” the officer said. (Daily Trust)