Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin-Kebbi
Suspected bandits riding on five motorcycles on Monday night invaded Illo town in Bagudo Local Government in Kebbi State and scared away residents and vigilance members by shooting sporadically into the air.
Our correspondent gathered that the bandits brought out several machine guns and started shooting sending the residents scampering for safety.
Although no life was lost in the invasion, many residents of the town were said to have since fled to neighbouring villages in the local government.
When contacted on phone, the Bagudo council boss, Alhaji Muhammad Kaura, confirmed the invasion. He said the incident happened on 11:30pm on Monday.
According to him, “the bandits were first sighted in the day roaming around the area, buying bread, Coca Cola drinks as well as pure water.
“But nobody was bothered about them let alone report them to the appropriate authorities,” he said.
Kaura said the bandits later in the day laid siege to the community, adding that “when our vigilante and residents tried to challenge them, they brought out highly-sophisticated machine guns and started shooting.
“It was then that our people took to their heels, scampering for the safety,” he said.
The chairman also called on the residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious character lurking around the area.
“The situation has now been brought under control as residents have returned to do their normal activities,” he said.
But an unconfirmed report claimed that the wife of a prominent oil marketer in the town was whisked away by the invaders.