INEC OFFICIAL KIDNAPPED, RESIDENTS KILLED IN FRESH ATTACK

Armed bandits have attacked Girkau village in the Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing one local resident and kidnapping an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The deceased has been identified as Mallam Samaila Abdullahi Girkau, while the abducted electoral officer is Bala A. Ladan Girkau, an INEC employee based in the neighboring Tambuwal local government area.

The violent incursion took place on a Thursday morning when the gunmen stormed the community, targeting the residents and making away with the electoral staff member.

The Sokoto State Police Command, speaking through its Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmed Rufai, officially verified the tragic event.

He confirmed to journalists that the command received the distress report and has documented both the homicide and the kidnapping.

DSP Rufai stated that the police are fully aware of the situation, confirming that one person was killed and another was taken hostage during the raid.

To ensure a thorough response, the police spokesperson noted that headquarters is currently collaborating with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) overseeing the Kebbe jurisdiction to piece together the exact circumstances surrounding the raid.

Operatives have already been deployed to track the attackers.This recent assault deepens the growing security crisis in the Kebbe region, which has been plagued by a relentless wave of banditry, mass abductions, and livestock theft over the past few weeks.Just a week prior, on September 4, a similar raid by suspected bandits in Girkau Ward left five people dead and three others wounded.

During that earlier incident, multiple villagers were taken captive, and a significant number of cattle were stolen.

The region has been under severe pressure since August, when a brutal massacre in the Ungushi community resulted in the deaths of 28 people.

Following that tragedy and intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists were still hiding in the vicinity, the Nigerian Army reorganized its tactical deployment across Kebbe and nearby borders.

Compounding the terror, community sources recently revealed that the bandits imposed a ₦40 million levy on local residents, threatening further bloodshed if the extortion money was not paid.

The state police command confirmed awareness of this threat and stated that its Anti-Kidnapping Unit is investigating the extortion attempt.

The relentless violence has crippled daily life in Kebbe’s agrarian communities, forcing hundreds of displaced residents to flee their ancestral homes, destroying the local economy, and halting essential social activities.

While targeting an INEC official introduces a worrying dynamic for civil servants working in volatile rural areas, security analysts note there is currently no evidence suggesting the abduction was politically motivated or tied to his official duties.Joint security forces are now expected to scale up counter-terrorism operations within the axis to restore law and order, secure the volatile communities, and safely rescue the abducted INEC official.

As of the latest update, the Sokoto State Police Command has not confirmed whether any suspects have been arrested or tracked down in connection with the attack