BY ANKELI EMMANUEL,Sokoto
Suspected terrorists otherwise called bandits has burnt scores of passengers traveling from Sabon Birni Local Government Area to Sokoto Town.
NATIONAL ACCORD gathered that the incident occured in the early hours of Tuesday around Gidan Bawa village, where the bandits blocked the road and set the vehicle ablaze.
Meanwhile, The Sokoto State Police Command have confirmed the incident to newsmen.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Sanusi Abubakar, however, said that those killed might be about 17 as according to him, the vehicle carried about 24 passengers out of which 7 were admitted at an undisclosed hospital.
ASP Sanusi, who responded to a text message sent to him on the development said, “The vehicle is conveying 24 passengers out of which 7 victims were admitted and unidentified number of burnt dead bodies”.
Sources from Sabon Birni LGA, however insisted that those burnt in the vehicle could be higher than what the police confirmed as according to them a particular family loss ten members to the incident.
One of the source, who was a former Local Government Chairman, Danchadi told our reporter that the incident was really heart breaking.
According to him, they are still trying to ascertain the exact number of casualties, adding that the figure might be very scaring.
A relative of one of those who was killed in the attack, who gave his name as Garba said, the entire Sokoto East Senatorial District has been under occupation by the Turji led faction of bandits, who has installed leaders in some villages collecting tithes, levies and controlling those in such villages as his slaves.
