Gunmen kill 18 traders in Yobe

Gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect attacked and killed 18 traders in a local market in Yobe State on Monday night.

DailyPost also learnt that a lecturer with the College of Agriculture Gujba was also attacked while returning from Ashaka from Gombe State and killed at Buni Gari by the fleeing gunmen.

The Yobe State police commissioner, Alhaji Sanusi Rufai confirmed on Tuesday that the 18 traders were killed by armed bandits in two villages in Gulani Local Government Area.

The Yobe police boss in a chat with newsmen said “the traders were ambushed by the bandits while travelling back from Ngalda local market.

“The bandits attacked and killed 18 traders, 10 from kukuwa and 8 from Dokshi vilages and took away their money estimated at millions of naira”.

He disclosed that the bandits were masked and dressed in military uniform.

“The bandits were masked and wearing army uniform”, he said.

Alhaji Sanusi explained that the attackers also ran into a quarry and attacked policemen attached to a quarry plant in the area, killing one policeman.

Although the CP revealed that no arrest was made, he noted that “the Joint Task force (JTF) and police are now combing the bush and, security agents across the state were on red alert”.

He, however, regretted that “bandits are now parading themselves as Boko Haram to wreck havoc on innocent people and inject fears in them”.

Meanwhile, the Yobe State Council of Chiefs on Tuesday condemned the attack on the innocent traders.