Remains of 28 residents of Duma village in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State who drowned in an attempt to escape gun duel between security operatives and bandits at a nearby forest have been recovered.
Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that the incident occurred last Wednesday when security operatives under Operation Hadarin Daji engaged suspected bandits who rustled livestock in some communities in the neighbouring Zamfara State.
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The spokesman of the Sokoto police command, DSP Sanusi Abubakar, while confirming the incident Saturday, said when the residents of Duma heard gunshots in the nearby forest and spotted some movement of bandits who were being dislodged, they became agitated and started running helter-skelter.
“They thought the fleeing bandits were coming to attack them, and as such, they started running, as a result of which some of them got drowned. Twenty-eight lifeless bodies were later recovered and buried,” he said.
Abubakar said the joint operation was still ongoing as the axis was cordoned off by security operatives.
He, however, dismissed an online report that some of the residents were shot by the bandits, saying there was no gunshot injury on any of the recovered corpses.
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