Suspected bandits have killed the Chief Imam of Kuda-Kuda village in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State and abducted several residents, including married women, during a deadly overnight attack on the community.
Residents said the attackers stormed the village at about 12:58 a.m. on Thursday and operated for nearly two hours, firing gunshots sporadically, rustling livestock and forcing residents to flee for safety.
Among those killed was the village Chief Imam, Liman Audu, alongside three other residents identified as Yahaya Hasanu, Zahara Mu’azu and Ibrahim Dayyabu.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described how panic spread across the community as gunfire erupted from multiple directions.
“We were keeping vigil when we suddenly heard gunshots from different directions. We ran home, woke our families and fled towards the outskirts of the village to save our lives,” he said.
According to the resident, the attackers moved from house to house, abducting residents, particularly married women.
“The three injured victims were shot in the chest and the bullets exited through their backs. As we speak, they have been taken to a hospital in Sokoto, but honestly, we are not optimistic about their chances of survival,” he added.
Those abducted were said to include Malam Shehu Farar Zaki, Yar Yamma, Khadija and six other residents.
Another villager confirmed the killings and said the attackers first targeted the residence of the Chief Imam before turning on three young men they encountered.
“After killing the Imam, they met three youths and asked them to follow them. When the youths refused, the bandits shot and killed them on the spot,” the resident said.
Residents expressed frustration over what they described as the absence of security intervention during the attack, noting that Kuda-Kuda village had suffered repeated attacks by armed groups over the years.
One resident said the latest assault was the eleventh attack on the community, despite repeated appeals to authorities for improved security protection.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Col. Ahmed Usman (Rtd), were unsuccessful, as calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages sent to them were not answered as of the time of filing this report.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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