At age 70, a man who could not resist the temptation of offering himself for service in defense of his community in the wake of heightening security challenges joined the local vigilante group in his native home but paid the supreme price on Tuesday, August 23.
Septuagenarian Alhasan Garba who hailed from Gidan Kirya in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State was shot dead by a gang of armed bandits who invaded the village in large numbers at about 9pm on the ill-fated day.
Garba alongside other members of the vigilante in the community had reportedly engaged the bandits in a firefight during which he was felled by a ferocious bullet.
Another vigilante member, Abdulmumini Arzika, aged 35, sustained injuries in the encounter but was lucky to be alive.
However, inhabitants of the sleepy community are consoled that the 70-year-old man did not die in vain, as he fought with the last drop of his blood to prevent the bandits from wrecking havoc.
A local told Scudnews on Wednesday that the gallantry displayed by Garba and other members of the vigilante prevented the bandits from abducting residents of the community.
It was learnt that following a distress call, the police who later arrived the scene, evacuated the septuagenarian’s body to the General Hospital Goronyo mortuary for autopsy. The injured vigilante man was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
Less than six hours after the attack which claimed Garba’s life, bandit stormed Gegeta village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State and abducted 20 persons comprising men, children and women.
Three soldiers were killed on the same day by a group of armed bandits around Ruwan Kaiwa village in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Scudnews learnt that the soldiers attached to Operation Kekun Waje FOB, were responding to a distress call at Ruwan Kaiwa village when they ran into an ambush by the bandits.
Besides those killed, two other soldiers were reportedly injured.
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