Wole Ayodele in Jalingo
At least 13 persons have been reported killed after a bandit attack in Karekuka, a community of Gassol Local Government Area, Taraba state.
Apart from death records, many others were also left injured due to armed attacks on the village.
A community source confirmed the incident yesterday, disclosing that no fewer than six local vigilante members lost their lives in the Friday attack.
The source disclosed that the vigilantes also killed six of the bandits.
Meanwhile, the bandits also attacked Garin Gidado community on Saturday morning but met it empty, the source added. The community had been previously attacked by bandits.
The Taraba State Police Command confirmed the attack on Karekuka village and said efforts are in top gear to restore normalcy.
He added that officers have been drafted to the scene to convey the corpses to a nearby morgue as investigations commence.
Likewise, bandits attacked immigration officers in Birniwa Local Government Area, Jigawa State, killing one and injuring two others.
This was disclosed by the Comptroller of the Nigerian Immigration Service in the state, ACG Ismail Abba Aliyu, during a news conference on Wednesday in Dutse.
He claimed that the bandits ambushed the officers during a patrol along the Galadi-Birniwa axis, noting that the attack took place on Tuesday night.
According to him, the bandits, numbering about five, arrived at the patrol base on two motorbikes and started attacking the cops.
“One was carrying three people and the other one was carrying two people and immediately on arrival, they opened fire on the Immigration officers on patrol, which resulted in the death of one of the staff named Abdullahi Mohammed (CIA) and two others sustained bullet injuries,” Aliyu said.
He identified the injured officers as Abba Musa Kiyawa and Zubairu Garba, adding that three others, however, managed to flee the attack.
The gunmen were said to have fled into the bush after exchanging gunfire, leaving their motorcycles and phones behind.
The two injured officers are responding to treatment in a medical facility in Jigawa State.
The comptroller stated that the Command will submit the recovered handsets and motorcycles to the police for additional investigation.
Additionally, he urged residents of the state to assist the law enforcement agencies by providing any useful information that could aid in the capture of the criminals.
