At least 12 persons, including a woman with two of her children, and her daughter-in-law were reportedly killed by suspected gunmen in Kurya village, Rabbah Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Sunday.
A resident of the community who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, Yusuf Kurya, said the deceased were burnt alive by the gunmen.
He said, “The incident happened on Sunday night around 8:30 pm when the gunmen stormed our village in large numbers, shooting sporadically.
“They killed about 12 people in the process out of which four of them were burnt alive.
“They also abducted three women in the village while unspecified numbers of animals were also rustled in the process”
He said that following a distress call by the residents, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji were mobilised and pursued them, killing some of the bandits in the process.
Confirming the development, the spokesman for the Nigerian Police Force, Sokoto State command, ASP Ahmed Rufa’i, said from the last information he got from the village, seven persons were already confirmed dead with the possibility of the figures rising.
He, however, promised to get back once the investigation is completed.
