Bandits have killed the chief Imam of Talluje village in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State and two others.

The onslaught, which reportedly lasted for almost two hours targeted the two communities in the Danchadi District of the local government.

The incident brings the number of chief Imams killed in the area to three within the past few weeks.

The bandits were said to have launched coordinated attacks on both communities simultaneously, shooting indiscriminately before fleeing with an unspecified number of rustled livestock.

“The attacks started around 4:00 p.m. and continued until about 6:00 p.m. The bandits killed the Chief Imam of Talluje and two other persons whose identities have yet to be confirmed,” a community leader in Danchadi told newsmen.

The state police spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, when contacted, said he had not yet been briefed on the incident.

The Gombe State Police Command has rescued an eight-year-old boy who was abducted in Akko Local Government Area of the state and arrested four suspects allegedly involved in the crime.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, in a statement issued on Thursday in Gombe, said the boy’s father, Muhammadu Nabadara, reported the incident to the Akko Divisional Police Headquarters on June 28 after his son left home the previous day at about 6:30 am and failed to return.

The police said detectives immediately launched an investigation and intensified efforts to trace the missing child, adding that on June 29, the victim’s family received a telephone call claiming to reveal the child’s location, but the information turned out to be false after police verification.

Intelligence-led operations eventually led to a breakthrough on June 30, when operatives arrested the first suspect, identified as Abdullahi Mohammed of Jauro Musa Quarters in Kumo, Akko LGA.

“During interview, Abdullahi Mohammed confessed to have conspired with Mohammed Magaji, 35; Sale Sale, 23; and Walida Ya’u, 18, all of Kagarawal Quarters, Gombe, to abduct the victim,” the statement said.

The police said the three other suspects were subsequently arrested and the abducted boy was found in their custody.

“The victim was successfully rescued unharmed and has since been reunited with his family. However, investigation is ongoing and the suspects will be charged in court for prosecution upon conclusion,” the statement added.

Heavy fighting has reportedly broken out between suspected Lakurawa fighters and armed bandits in the Tapkin Giyayya axis of Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State.

A security expert, Zagazola Makama, who disclosed this in a report on his official X handle, said both sides recorded casualties.

He said the clash began after a group of armed bandits allegedly moved from forests in Zamfara State through the Tudun Magaji area into the Mashegu Forest.

Residents said several fighters were reportedly killed during the confrontation, while others were seen fleeing the area with gunshot wounds.

The exact number of casualties could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

Security authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident.