By HAUWA IBRAHIM

A soldier was reportedly killed, while two other soldiers and an unspecified number of villagers were abducted on Monday when heavily armed bandits attacked Tudun Bichi village in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The attack occurred in Tudun Bichi, a village located about six kilometres north-east of Wasagu town, where military personnel were stationed.

Residents said scores of bandits riding on motorcycles stormed the community at about 10:49 a.m., triggering a fierce gun battle with troops that lasted for more than one hour.

A resident of Wasagu, Altine Wasagu, said the attackers eventually overpowered the security personnel. “We started hearing gunshots around 11:50 a.m., and the exchange of fire lasted for more than one hour. One soldier was killed during the gun battle. The bandits overpowered the soldiers and abducted two soldiers, two forest guards and an unconfirmed number of villagers,” he said.

He added that an almajiri child was reportedly killed by a stray bullet during the attack.

Another resident, Abubakar Bala, said he narrowly escaped after hiding in a tree while working on his farm.

“I was on my farm when I heard gunshots, so I climbed a tree and hid there. It was terrifying. By my count, the bandits came on more than 57 motorcycles carrying sophisticated weapons. They attacked the military personnel stationed in Tudun Bichi, overpowered them, killed one soldier, carted away their rifles and left with two soldiers, two forest guards and many villagers,” he said.

Residents said the exact number of abducted villagers had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

Efforts to reach the Chairman of Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, Hussaini Aliyu Bena, for comments were unsuccessful as he did not respond to telephone calls and a text message sent to his mobile line.

However, security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the incident, gave a slightly different account of the casualties.

According to the sources, the bandits struck while some of the troops were escorting farmers to their farmlands.

“The bandits attacked and killed one soldier and two forest guards. However, the troops neutralised three bandits and recovered two motorcycles as well as their firearms. Reinforcements have been deployed and are currently trailing the fleeing bandits,” one of the sources said.

As of press time, the military and other security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the attack.