Bandits abduct bride, nursing mother in Sokoto

A newlywed bride and a nursing mother have been abducted by suspected bandits at Sutti village in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A reliable source told our reporter that the bride was abducted while being conveyed to her husband’s house on Wednesday, 19 August.

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According to the source, the nursing mother, who is the wife of Magajin Garin Sulli, was kidnapped along with her baby from their residence on Thursday night.

The source told Daily Trust that the bandits also kidnapped a yet-to-be ascertained number of traders along Balle-Tangaza road on Wednesday.

“The traders were coming back to Tangaza from Balle in two commercial vehicles. They rammed into a roadblock mounted by the bandits, who ordered them out of the vehicles and whisked them away.

“As at last Friday, nothing had been heard about them but the vehicles are still there at the spot of the abduction,” the source added.

The source noted that one of the two drivers shot by the bandits was discharged from the hospital while the other one didn’t survive the gunshot.

Daily Trust learnt that some of the villages had been deserted for fear of attack.

“There is a village called Garin Alfarma that was deserted by most of its residents who relocated to Gidan Madi, the headquarters of Tangaza Council Area for fear of the hoodlums,” it was noted.

A security source confirmed to Daily Trust that there have been series of kidnappings in Tangaza and Gudu Local Government Areas, especially at night.

“They (bandits) usually operate in the night. They come to remote places that we cannot reach in time due to their terrain, abduct their victims and run away,” he said.

The spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Muhammad Sadiq, who confirmed the development, said a joint patrol has been initiated in the area.