BREAKING: Bandits kidnap Tsangaya students in Sokoto; 15 reported missing

Reports indicate that an unspecified number of Tsangaya students have been kidnapped from Gidan Bakuso in the Gada local government area of Sokoto state. The incident occurred at approximately 1:00 am on Saturday.

The proprietor of the school, Liman Abubakar, informed our reporter that 15 students are currently unaccounted for, stating, “we are still counting.”

Abubakar recounted that the bandits entered the town around 1 am, shot one person, and abducted a woman. “As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them,” he added. “We have so far counted 15 who are missing, and we are still searching for more.”

This attack is not the first to hit the village, according to Abubakar.

Confirming the incident, Kabiru Dauda, the member representing Gada-East Constituency at the state House of Assembly, stated that he received a distress call from the village around 2 am alerting him to the bandit invasion. “I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies, and I am sure they are taking action,” he assured.

In another unfortunate event, bandits attacked and killed three individuals in Turba village, Isa Local Government Area of the state, including the village head. Habibu Modachi, the representative of Isa Constituency, noted that this incident appeared to be a reprisal following security operations targeting bandit hideouts two days prior.

Responding to inquiries, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, stated that he was not aware of the specific incident but assured that he would liaise with the Divisional Police Officer of the local government areas and provide updates.

These incidents occur amidst the state’s ongoing Community Guards Corps initiative, aimed at combatting banditry and enhancing security within Sokoto.