No fewer than 10 traders have been abducted by a group of gunmen suspected to be bandits, who set ablaze a Lagos-bound tomato truck during an attack on the Shadawa community in Katsina State.
The armed men, as gathered, outmatched the local vigilantes hired by the traders to guard them, and wreaked havoc in the community before fleeing with their captives.
Besides abducting several villagers, the armed invaders who attacked the village at last night also left a path of destruction, injuring four others and damaging numerous properties, which has caused widespread chaos and devastation.
A merchant who narrowly escaped the attack on Friday revealed that the bandits stormed the village while everyone was preparing to sleep and started firing indiscriminately.
“They came in large numbers, shooting everywhere. Four people were injured, many were taken, and they burned a trailer full of tomatoes headed to Lagos,” the trader stated.
“We can’t keep living like this, We need better security before things spiral further out of control.” the trader lamented.
Meanwhile, the state authorities have yet to comment on the attack, but residents are calling for urgent intervention.
This latest assault underscores the persistent insecurity in Nigeria’s northwest, where banditry continues to endanger lives and businesses.
