Bandits yesterday struck again in Zamfara, Kaduna, Borno and Yobe states, kidnapping 60 travellers on the Sokoto-Gusau highway, a traditional ruler in Kaduna, two soldiers in Maiduguri and some others in Yobe.
They also killed two of their victims in the Zamfara attack.
According to reports, the bandits, who operated in broad daylight, blocked the Sokoto-Gusau road and seized about 60 passengers of three buses belonging to the Sokoto State Transport Authority (SSTA).
A motorist, Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, who narrowly escaped abduction, said the bandits blocked the road near Dogon Karfe at about 3pm and abducted all the passengers in the three buses.
“They (bandits) suddenly came out of their hiding place and started shooting in the air, thereby forcing the vehicles to stop.
They abducted all the passengers in the three vehicles belonging to Sokoto State Transport Authority including the drivers.
“Immediately they (bandits) left the place, we all drove our vehicles very fast because we thought that they would come back and pick some of us,” he said.
He called on the authorities to deploy security agents to Sokoto-Gusau road as, according to him, the bandits are abducting people along the road on daily basis.
“The bandits have been abducting people daily on this road. I am appealing to the appropriate authorities to please do something very urgent to arrest the situation”.
The state police command spokesperson, SP Mohammed Shehu claimed that only one bus was seized and that 10 persons were rescued.
An official of the Sokoto Mass Transit confirmed that one of their buses was attacked by the bandits.
The official who spoke under condition of anonymity said the bandits blocked the highway on Sunday morning wielding sophisticated weapons and eventually kidnapping over sixty travellers.
A bus driver and one other passenger escaped the attack but the rest of the passengers were taken away into the bush by the bandits.
Local residents also explained that the bandits blocked Wurno-Goronyo road at about 5pm the same day, killing two people and abducting others.
Confirming the attack on Wurno-Goronyo road, the chairman of Wurno Local Government Area, Abubakar Arzika, said two people, including a lady, were killed by the bandits.
He, however, could not confirm the abduction of other passengers on the road, saying police were still investigating the matter.
Police authorities in the state are yet to release a statement on the incident.
Kidnapping for ransom has become commonplace in Sokoto and many other states in Nigeria.
The attacks are carried out by armed bandits whose aim is to terrorise residents and make money.
Apart from the kidnappings, the bandits also kill residents of communities at will. A group of bandits recently shot down an alpha jet the military was using to attack the bandits in neighbouring Zamfara State