At least seven residents have lost their lives while 12 others were reportedly abducted after suspected bandits raided Tofa village in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, with the attackers reportedly arriving at around 1am and remaining in the community for several hours.
A security source quoted by Daily Trust said the assailants fired several shots during the operation, which lasted for about four hours.
The source said seven people, including two women, were killed, while an unspecified number of animals were also taken away by the attackers.
Those reportedly killed were identified as Malam Muhammadu, Danbakanike, Musa Dan Agaji, Masaudu Basiru, Buba Biti, Yar Kuluwa Basiru and Jamila Umma.
The source listed the abducted residents as Shafiu Bello, Bilyaminu Abubakar, Saifullahi Buhari, Hauwau Zayyanu, Saratu Ibrahim, Safiyya Nasi, Zulaiha Aminu, Bilya Abu, Farida Lawali, Yar Kadan Aminu and Kulu Amadu.
Ten other victims were, however, said to have regained their freedom after the bandits released them while heading towards their hideout.
The security source also disclosed that two additional abductions occurred in separate incidents around the area.
Among them was a farmer identified as Sani Gayya, popularly called Magatakarda Saburu, who was reportedly seized while working on his farm in Saburu village.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the Sokoto State Government or security agencies regarding the attack.