Gunmen raid Sokoto village, murder 3 policemen, 3 traders.

Three police officers and three other traders were killed yesterday afternoon when gunmen believed to be bandits raided the Yarbulutu village market in the Sabon Birni local government area of Sokoto state.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Defense Minister Salihi Magashi were in Sokoto for the 2022 COAS annual meeting when the attack took place at 2:30 p.m.

Eyewitnesses claim that bike-riding gunmen opened fire on unarmed vendors at the weekly market, forcing everyone to flee and run for their lives.

Three police officers were killed and two operating vehicles were set on fire as police officers at a nearby checkpoint hurried to the scene and confronted the attackers.

The Sokoto State Police Command’s DSP Sanusi Abubakar confirmed the incident by saying that the command had received the report and was looking for the attackers to bring them to justice.

A villager who saw the incident and was alarmed by the way that gunmen terrorize the neighborhood every day with little opposition stated his worries.

According to him, kidnappers and bandits operating in Zamfara and parts of Sokoto state have long held the eastern Sokoto local governments of Sabon Birni and Isa hostage for ransom.

“I am certain these gunmen were from Zamfara state and now relocated to our area as the area shares boarder with the state in the east” said the eyewitness. 

Recall that six people were killed by gunmen last week in an attack in a different village in the state’s Goronyo local government area.

Early last year, a similar incident occurred where it is believed that gunmen killed over 40 people.