Barely hours after completing a mandatory salary verification exercise in Sokoto metropolis, a newly recruited secondary school teacher, 30-year-old Maniru Sa’adu Imam, has been killed alongside a driver and his five-year-old son in a brutal ambush by suspected bandits along the Gundumi-Isa road.
The attack occurred on Wednesday afternoon as the victims were returning to Isa Local Government Area following the verification exercise organized for newly employed teachers ahead of their first payroll disbursement.
The deceased driver was identified as Abdurrahman Umar, while his five-year-old son who perished in the attack was identified as Abubakar Abdurrahman.
Due to persistent security threats along the volatile Gundumi-Isa axis, residents typically travel between Isa and Sokoto metropolis only on Wednesdays and Saturdays under heavy security escort.
Eyewitnesses and local sources revealed that the vehicle conveying the victims departed the departure point shortly behind the main security-escorted convoy.
As the main convoy approached the Gundumi area, security personnel engaged a group of suspected bandits spotted near the highway, forcing the gunmen to scatter into the surrounding forest. However, after the main body of the convoy passed, the armed assailants regrouped and laid an ambush for trailing vehicles.
When the vehicle conveying Imam and the other commuters approached, the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, killing three occupants instantly, injuring three others, and leaving one passenger missing.
Imam, a father of one, was among the educators recently recruited by the Sokoto State Government and posted to Government Day Secondary School, Maitandu. Local residents expressed sorrow over his death, noting that he had traveled to the state capital specifically to finalize his employment documentation and had yet to receive his first salary payment.
The deceased victims were laid to rest in Isa on Thursday morning in accordance with Islamic rites amidst tears from family members and community residents.
Efforts to reach the Sokoto State Police Command for an official statement were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.