Nigeria: Death toll surges to 43 from gunmen attack in north-western state

Nigerian Government spokesperson revealed on Monday that the number of fatalities from a gunmen attack on a community in northwestern Nigeria's Sokoto state has increased to 43 as more bodies have been recovered from the area. The governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal confirmed in an updated statement on Monday evening that a bunch of bandits invaded the Goronyo town where the headquarters of the Goronyo local government in the state.

After the gunmen ravaged the area, the governor Aminu Waziri estimated the number of casualties were around 30 in his previous statement. Quoting the current statement of Tambuwal, the Xinhua website reported, “We just finished a meeting with some stakeholders and I have confirmed that we unfortunately lost 43 people to that incident." 

The Bandits are dwelling in "the fool's paradise of invincibility": Nigerian President

In a statement released on Monday, the President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari denounced the brutal assault by gunmen in Sokoto state, warning that the perpetrators' days are "numbered." The president further believes that the perpetrators are dwelling in "the fool's paradise of invincibility" while urging the people of the area to be tolerant and patient as the army is planning strategies on how to strike them, severely. 

President Muhammadu Buhari went on to say that the bandits are now under extreme stress as a result of Nigerian security services' intensive and persistent air and ground strikes against them in their hiding places.

Gunmen Attacks in the Nigeria   

As per AP, militant groups have continued to target villages despite efforts and severe measures like telecommunications barricades and curfews. In regions where there is minimal protection, the shooters frequently kill dozens of civilians. Furthermore, people in the Sokoto area have informed AP that Sokoto is among the most impacted areas where bandits took advantage of wide swaths of terrain along the frontier with neighbouring Niger which are not monitored. They further informed that some assaults are not even reported for days or weeks after they happen. Recently, state lawmaker Amina Al-Mustapha reported to AP, “We are under bandits now, no single village has not been attacked.”  

Meanwhile, earlier on October 4, another gunmen assault in northwest Nigeria had taken several lives. According to news agency Xinhua, which cited a local official, the death toll from gunmen assaults in NW Nigeria's Kaduna state has risen to 50, when several unidentified gunmen carried out the fatal strikes. 

(Image: AP/ Representative Image)