At least 32 people have been killed by suspected bandits in Ungushi community, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, residents have said. The residents also claimed that 13 of the attackers were killed by members of the community during the prolonged attack. One of the leaders in the village, who witnessed the attack and participated in the burial of some of the victims on Sunday, said the bandits stormed the community while residents were observing Jumu’a prayers at about 2:15pm on Friday. He said the attackers parked their motorcycles in front of the mosque before dispersing worshippers and moving into the town, where they killed five people. “After they left, we went to prepare for the burial of the victims. But they returned and killed two more people. Then they started coming from different directions, shooting continuously and surrounding the town,” he said. According to him, residents who were inside their houses fled, while others climbed a hill in the community to escape the attackers. He said he also managed to reach the hill by jumping across compounds, but later heard the bandits directing their men to kill every man they saw while sparing women and children. The resident said the attackers eventually turned their guns towards those hiding on the hill. “I saw some people who were with me on the hill being killed. By God’s grace, I managed to descend behind the hill and escaped into a farm, where I hid,” he said. He said the attackers remained in the community until about 1am on Saturday before leaving, only to return in the morning and continue killing and slaughtering some residents. He said they were eventually forced to leave after security personnel arrived in the area. The resident said residents entered the community on Sunday and began recovering the bodies of the victims. “Today, some people were conducting funeral prayers for the victims while others were going around looking for more bodies. Eventually, we recovered and buried 32 bodies,” he said. He also claimed that he personally saw the bodies of 13 bandits killed by residents during the attack, but said the attackers later retrieved the bodies of their colleagues. He said the bandits also set fire to seven houses, two shops and three vehicles, but the rain prevented the fire from causing extensive damage. The resident said the attackers also invaded Umbutu, Maikurhuna, Gwandi, Girkau and Zugu communities, where they allegedly stole large numbers of livestock and other valuables without killing residents. According to him, he heard that a military aircraft dropped bombs on the attackers at about 6pm on Sunday in Indiri, forcing them to flee from Zugu. He said it was still unclear whether some residents remained in the affected communities, as many had fled to Kebbe, Jega, Koko, Tambuwal, Aleiro, Agwada, Andarai, Jandutsi and other larger towns in Sokoto and Kebbi states. The resident also said the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, visited them in Kebbe on Sunday evening. He said the GOC came with more than 200 soldiers and Hilux vehicles loaded with weapons, describing the visit as encouraging. “We appreciate the visit and believe it will help in addressing the security situation in our area,” he said. He appealed to the government to increase attention to residents living in remote communities, saying the situation becomes particularly difficult during the rainy season. Another resident of Kebbe, who is familiar with the attacks in the area and requested anonymity, said the latest attacks followed the killing of four soldiers in Kebbe on Friday. He said the attackers subsequently moved towards Ungushi, Maikurhuna, Umbutu, Gwandi and other communities. According to him, some of his brothers working on farms in the area told him that the attackers were too many to be counted. He said poor telecommunication networks had made it difficult to establish contact with residents in the affected communities. However, he said he managed to speak with residents of Ungushi, who confirmed that about 30 bodies of victims killed by the attackers had been seen, although more victims could still be found. A displaced resident of Gwandi, also in Kebbe, said the bandits entered their community at about noon but initially did not attack residents. He said they returned later when residents were observing Isha’i prayers, forcing everyone to flee. “We spent two days in the bush without food. They entered the village and stole our livestock and other valuables,” he said. He added that one person was shot and sustained injuries that resulted in a broken bone, while another resident who had earlier been kidnapped was later released. The resident said almost everyone had fled the community, leaving only a few people behind. He appealed to the government to intensify efforts to secure the affected communities and enable displaced residents to return home.
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