Banditry: Eight killed in Kebbi attack, 16 abducted in Zamfara

CDS Oluyede

No fewer than eight persons have been killed following coordinated attacks by gunmen on Kaiwa, Gelawu and Gebbe villages in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State, triggering panic and mass displacement of residents.

This was as 16 women were abducted in Zamfara State with two others killed. The incidents happened on a day, bandits demanded N500m for the release of five road construction workers kidnapped in Kwara State on December 15.

The renewed attacks come only days after the US security forces conducted an air raid on terrorists’ enclaves in Sokoto State.

Local sources said the attackers stormed the Kebbi community without warning, firing sporadically and causing widespread fear and confusion. The assault, described as the worst in the area in many years, forced residents to abandon their homes in search of safety.

“The community is traumatised. We have not experienced this level of violence in a long time,” a resident said.

Confirming the incident to The PUNCH, the spokesman for the Kebbi State Police Command, SP Bashir Usman, said seven victims died during the attacks, while one additional victim later died while receiving treatment.

He added that another injured victim is currently responding to medical care. Punch