Not less than 20 persons have been killed by armed bandits after an attack on a market at Ungwan Lalle in Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto state.
It was gathered that the many other people were injured during the attack and are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Sabon Birni while others with life threatening injuries were taken to the state capital for proper care.
The attack was confirmed by a former council chairman of Sabon Birni local government, Abdullahi Tsamaye.
According to him, the gunmen came in large numbers into the market, shooting sporadically and aiming at anybody in sight.
Vehicles and many other other properties were also reportedly destroyed during the attack.
The Sokoto state police command was yet to confirm the incident at the time of filing this report.
The latest attack comes barely 24 hours after a vigilante group killed about 11 persons in the state including an Imam.
Chronicle NG reported that the majority of the victims were of Fulani extraction.
The assailants believed to be the outlawed vigilante group – Yan Sakai, stormed the community at about 3:30pm on Thursday.
It was gathered that majority of the victims had come from different settlements to purchase food and other essentials at the market when they were attacked.
The Yan Sakai were said to have stormed the market from Goronyo Local Government Area, attacking the victims whom they accused of aiding banditry.
A relative of the Imam, Abdullahi Riskuwa, said his brother was killed unjustifiably because he never had any criminal record.
“He is sound in religion knowledge and had been leading prayers in one of our mosques in Salame town.”
“His only sin was that he belonged to the Fulani tribe.”
Three burnt alive, policemen missing as bandits attack Sokoto community
According to Riskuwa, Imam Aliyu only went to the market to buy goods when he was killed.
Among those killed at the market, he said, were children and the Yan Sakai went away with their animals.
He called on the government to investigate the matter with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.
The Chairman of Gwadabawa local government, Aminu Aya, confirmed the attack, saying the Yan Sakai were not from Gwadabawa.
According to him, the deceased were deposited at the Morgue of Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, and some of their relatives went there to recover their corpses.
He however, said that, normalcy was restored in the area.
It can be recalled that Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal had prohibited the activities of Yan Sakai in the state.
