A fresh bandit attack has struck farming communities in the Wasagu area of Kebbi State, resulting in the reported abduction of eight farmers and the shooting of another, local authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The Chairman of Danko Wasagu Local Government, Hussaini Aliyu Bena, in a telephone conversation said the attackers struck early in the afternoon while farmers were on their fields.

“Eight of our farmers were taken away, and one person was shot.

“The injured victim is receiving treatment at the Wasagu General Hospital. We are working with security agencies to ensure the safe return of those abducted,” he said.

He further confirmed that the incident was immediately reported to the military who were in the area on operation and they are already in pursuit of the bandits with a mission to get the victims freed unhurt.

Community members say the gunmen, suspected to have crossed in from neighbouring Zamfara State, operated for several minutes before escaping with their victims.

One resident, who identified himself as Sani, who also spoke with our correspondent described the situation as frightening.

“People are afraid to go back to the farms now. This is the second time in less than two weeks. We don’t know what will happen next if nothing is done,” he said.

The latest attack follows an incident earlier this month in which more than 40 residents were abducted in the same axis, deepening concerns about worsening insecurity in the area.

Security analyst Bakatsine, who first drew public attention to the incident on his X (formerly Twitter) account, said the pattern of attacks shows an increasingly fragile security environment.

“The situation in Wasagu is becoming desperate.

“We need urgent, coordinated action before these communities are completely overwhelmed,” he warned.

Residents are urging both the state and federal governments to deploy more security personnel and take decisive action to curb the attacks.

As of press time, security agencies and the Kebbi State Government have not issued an official statement.

Meanwhile, all efforts to get the reaction of the state police command were not successful as the spokesman of the command, Nafiu Abubakar, promised to get back to our correspondent while subsequent calls to him were not answered as of the time of filing this report. (The PUNCH)