Gunmen Operating on Motorcycles Invade Market, Cart Away Traders, Goods

Suspected bandits in large numbers riding on motorcycles yesterday, stormed a weekly market at Gongon Maliki, in Taraba State, abducted an unspecified number of traders, and carted away wares including food items worth thousands of naira.

Gongon Maliki Market is located in Yorro LGA of the state and operates on Wednesdays.

The bandits, whom traders said were about 50 in number, stormed the market at about 12.30pm on Wednesday when business activities were already in full swing and blocked all the entrances to the market, preventing traders from escaping.

Some of the bandits then stormed the market, dispossessing traders of their money and other valuables, before carting away the wares they could lay their hands on, including food items and textile materials.

According to Daily Trust, it was gathered that many of the traders, mainly from surrounding villages and Jalingo, the state capital, were latter abducted by the bandits.

A resident, Adamu Haruna, said the bandits shot into the air to scare the traders before warning that anyone who tried to move out of the market would be shot.

Adamu disclosed that there was confusion, fear and anger immediately the bandits rode away with the people they abducted and the wares as those lucky to escape started running out of the town.

He said this was not the first time that bandits had abducted people in the area as the town was at one time occupied by bandits, who were later chased away by soldiers and hunters.

The spokesman of Taraba State Police Command could not be reached for comment on the incident as his phone was switched off.