Four people were killed while about 30 others were abducted when terrorists attacked Giyawa, a community in the Goronyo area of Sokoto State on Thursday. PREMIUM TIMES reports.

The attack, which residents said began around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, continued until 04:00 a.m. Thursday.

“The impunity with which these bandits launch attacks is scary. They stormed the community in the night and only left early morning. They abducted several people in the village after killing four others,” Jamilu Muhammad, a resident of Goronyo town said.

He said at the last count, around 4:00 p.m., 30 people had been “abducted.”JAMB Portal

He said those killed have been buried.

“My brother, Maniru Bello, was killed in his house by the bandits. They fired several shots but when the bullets couldn’t penetrate him, they used a huge stone in the house to break his head,” Maryam Bello, who now lives in the capital city, Sokoto, said.

She said the terrorists did not take anything from the house after killing her brother.

They also did not abduct anyone among his family members.

“It was terrible. May Allah forgive his shortcomings.”JAMB Result

Some residents of communities around Giyawa, especially Boyekai and Danhwaru, have been fleeing their villages for safer places with others crossing to the Niger Republic on foot.

“Things are becoming unbearable,” a resident of Goronyo told PREMIUM TIMES via a WhatsApp voice note. He asked for his name not to be published for security reasons.

“Many of the villages around Giyawa are now deserted and towns like Goronyo are filled with IDPs. These people don’t go to farms that are far away from their communities because of the terrorists.”

An official of Goronyo Local Government who asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the press, confirmed the attack to PREMIUM TIMES over the phone.InformationGuideNigeria

“We just returned from the community where the chairman paid a condolence visit to families of those killed,” he said.

The state police spokesperson, Ahmed Rufa’i didn’t respond to calls from PREMIUM TIMES but he confirmed the attack in an interview with a local radio, Rima FM in Sokoto.NYSC Portal

While he confirmed that four people were killed, Mr Rufa’i said only 18 residents were abducted and seven of those abducted escaped before reaching the terrorists’ hideout.

Goronyo, located in the eastern part of Sokoto State, is one of the most vulnerable areas in terms of terrorist activities. Other areas in eastern Sokoto like Isa, Sabon Birni, Gada, Rabah, Wurno, Illela, and Gwadabawa have all been witnessing a series of terrorist activities for almost a decade.