Suspected Lakurawa terrorists have killed two currency traders during an attack on Darusa weekly market in Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Residents and police sources confirmed that the incident occurred late last week at the bustling border market, a major commercial centre along the Nigeria–Niger Republic border.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants arrived at the market on four motorcycles, with two armed men on each bike, and fired sporadically into the air, causing panic among traders and customers.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the attackers moved straight to the Bureau de Change operators and shot them at close range.
“They went directly to where the money changers were seated. They shot them instantly, collected the money they were trading with and fled,” the source said.
The victims were identified as Alhaji Ummaru Darusa and Muhammad Sani, both well-known currency traders who provided foreign exchange services to traders operating across the Nigeria–Niger border.
Residents said Mr Sani was a Nigerien national with official trading recognition in Niger Republic but regularly conducted business at Darusa market, highlighting the strong cross-border commercial ties in the area.
Community members believe the attackers had been monitoring the victims and chose a busy market day to carry out the attack and escape with large sums of cash in both local and foreign currencies.
Darusa market serves as a major economic hub for surrounding rural communities, and residents said the killings have instilled fear and disrupted commercial activities in the area.
Locals blamed the incident on inadequate security presence along the border and called on the authorities to intensify patrols to protect traders and residents from further attacks.
When contacted, a police source confirmed the attack and said security agencies had commenced investigations and were working to track down the perpetrators.