(Police Emblem. Photo by Sahara Reporters)
The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed a bandit attack on communities in Shagari Local Government Area.
A police inspector was reportedly killed.
The command spokesperson, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the attack to our correspondent on Tuesday.
He said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Shagari had briefed the command.
Rufai said police are still gathering details to find out what happened and how many people were hurt or killed, and promised to get back with more information.
The confirmation came after reports of armed bandits moving around farmlands and communities in the area, especially towards Sanyin Nawal village.
A resident, Hassan Sahabi, raised the alarm on social media, asking people to pray for the community as the armed men moved through it.
Another account said the bandits moved around Shagari farmlands in the morning before heading to Sanyin Nawal.
There, they allegedly stopped some vehicles and robbed travellers.
They were also said to have rested near a pond, eaten food and drunk Maltina, and set a motorcycle on fire before moving through nearby villages.
The account added that the bandits met a passenger vehicle on their way back in the evening, around Maghrib, and opened fire.
A police officer, named as Inspector Isah Muhammad Girkau, was reportedly shot and died from his injuries.
The police have not yet officially confirmed the name of the dead officer or how he died.
The attack has again raised fears about the safety of rural communities and roads in parts of Sokoto State.
