The Sokoto state government has dismissed claims that 42 persons were killed during that bandit attack at Gidan Bawa village in Isa local government area of the state on Monday, December 6.
Armed men opened fire on a 42-seater bus traveling to Kaduna, killing several passengers. There were speculations that 42 persons perished in the unfortunate incident.
However, a statement released this afternoon by the governor’s media aide, Muhammad Bello, said facts have emerged that 23 people lost their lives during the attack.
Contrary to speculations that over 40 people lost their lives in a bandits attack on a 42-seater bus traveling to Kaduna on Monday, facts have emerged that 23 people lost their lives during an attack at Gidan Bawa village in Isa local government area of Sokoto state.
Security chiefs in Sokoto state, comprising heads of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Police, Department of State Security and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Chairmen of Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas had briefed the state Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on the incident at the Government House, Sokoto, Wednesday, pledging to work with it on modalities to checkmate future occurrences.
“Strategies are on to make sure that this will not happen again,” stated the state Commissioner of Police, Kamaldeen Okunola, who briefed journalists after a closed session with the Governor.
He explained that of the total number of people in the bus which the bandits shot at causing a conflagration, 23 died of fire burns while six sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment at a hospital.
Three of the victims whose injuries were not so serious were promptly treated and discharged, Okunola said, after the security agencies mobilized to the spot of the attack and immediately mounted a patrol that is still ongoing on the 30 kilometers stretch of road between Gidan Bawa, the attack spot in Sokoto state and Shinkafi town in Zamfara state.
Meanwhile, Sokoto state government has condoled the people of the area on the tragic loss. Gov. Tambuwal prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased, quick recovery for those hospitalized and other wounded.
