Residents of Ungushi community in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, who were displaced by last Friday’s bandit attack, have recounted their harrowing experiences during the two-day assault on the village. The attack, which occurred between Friday and Saturday, has left at least 34 people dead, with families separated and several residents still searching for missing relatives. Residents said two more bodies were recovered from a bush in the community on Monday evening, bringing the number of bodies recovered to 34. They said 32 bodies had earlier been recovered and buried between Sunday and Monday. The residents also claimed that community members killed 13 bandits during the attack. The woman who recently gave birth said she was at home when they suddenly heard gunshots. She said she and other residents immediately fled through the back of their homes, climbed a nearby hill and continued running towards Kebbe. “We kept running, falling and getting up until we eventually reached Kebbe,” she said. According to her, the journey became more difficult after rain began to fall on Saturday. “The rain that fell on Saturday fell on us. My baby was almost thought to have died when we reached Kebbe because of the hardship he went through. It took hours before he regained consciousness,” she said. She said her daughter also travelled with them and suffered severe swelling in her legs because of the long journey. The woman said the attack claimed several members of her family, including her father, Imam Aliyu Musa, the Chief Imam of the Izala mosque. She identified another relative killed as her uncle, Uban Dankurma. She said no assistance had been provided to the displaced residents since their arrival in Kebbe, which forced her to move to Sokoto to seek refuge with relatives. “I am still afraid to return to my community,” she said. The woman said she saw the bodies of several victims, including a child who was less than one year old. ‘Pregnant women stabbed to death’ Another woman, whose sister was killed, gave a more disturbing account of what she described as the treatment of pregnant women by the attackers. She alleged that the attackers cut open the stomachs of three pregnant women, apparently in an attempt to see their unborn babies. She identified the victims as Kura, Lalishi and Abba, saying they were between seven and eight months pregnant, while one was close to delivery. The woman said she was also worried because she had not been able to establish the whereabouts of her husband. She said many displaced residents were now struggling to find food and other necessities. “We are appealing for every kind of assistance. We want peace so that we can return to our homes and continue our lives,” she said. Another resident said residents fled towards a hill shortly after the shooting began. He said the attackers later went from house to house, killing men they accused of belonging to local vigilante groups. According to him, the attackers operated in the community for several hours without facing effective resistance. “They even cooked food and took their bath in our village without anyone attacking them to dislodge them,” he said. He said several bodies were still believed to be on the hill where residents sought refuge. He added that the 32 bodies recovered and buried between Sunday and Monday were mainly those of people killed inside houses and along roads. He feared the death toll could rise because some victims killed on the hill had yet to be recovered. A resident who visited Ungushi on Monday and returned in the evening told a displaced associate in Kebbe that two more bodies had been found in the bush. The latest discovery brought the reported death toll to 34. The resident said families of the victims were still struggling to come to terms with the scale of the killings. He said his family was staying at an aunt’s house in Kebbe, alongside other displaced residents and under difficult conditions. He identified his brother, Alhaji Manu Dan Aljanna, as one of those killed. Another victim, he said, was Hussaini Yameji, a businessman from Zuru who was visiting the community. A 65-year-old resident, whose son-in-law was among those killed, said his family was facing uncertainty after the attack. He said he had not been able to locate his wife and two grown-up sons. He said his family remained around the hill after the attack started before eventually escaping to Kebbe on Sunday. An 18-year-old mother of two, whose father was killed, also recounted how the attackers found him hiding under his wife’s bed. She said the attackers dragged him out and slaughtered him after discovering his hiding place. The young mother said she had also not seen her husband since the attack and feared he could be among those killed. She appealed to the government and other authorities to assist the displaced residents, many of whom, she sa
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