Suspected armed bandits have abducted 13 residents of Tangaram Village in Wasagu District of Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State following a midnight attack on the community.

Residents said the attackers stormed the village at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, firing sporadically into the air before breaking into homes and whisking victims away toward the Zamfara border.

The Kebbi State Police Command on Monday confirmed the abduction of residents from Tangaram Village in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, saying the victims remain in captivity while rescue operations continue across the area.

The spokesperson for the command, SP Bashir Usman, said preliminary investigations showed that all those abducted were adult male residents of the village, contrary to reports circulating in some quarters.

“The abducted persons are still in captivity following the attack on Tangaram Village, Danko/Wasagu LGA.

“Preliminary findings, however, confirm that all the victims are adult male residents of the village, contrary to reports being circulated,”Usman said.

He added that security operatives had intensified coordinated rescue operations along border communities linking Kebbi and Zamfara states.

“Police tactical teams, in collaboration with vigilante groups and other security agencies, have sustained coordinated rescue efforts along the border axis with Zamfara State with a view to ensuring the safe rescue of the victims and arrest of the perpetrators,” he added.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the attack as terrifying.

“They came on motorcycles and started shooting into the air. People ran in different directions, but they forced their way into houses and took away several residents,” the source said.

The witness added that Tangaram and surrounding communities have suffered repeated attacks due to their proximity to forest corridors linking Kebbi, Zamfara, and Niger states.

Recent attacks in Danko/Wasagu have reportedly resulted in mass abductions, with some victims allegedly released after ransom payments running into millions of naira.

The latest attack has renewed concerns over worsening insecurity in border communities across Kebbi State, where residents continue to face recurring raids, kidnappings, and cattle rustling by armed groups operating along the North-West forest belt. (Daily Trust)

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