Armed robbers on Monday raided the Shuwarin Market in Dutse, killing one person and injuring seven others.
An eyewitness, Musa Ahmed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that the robbers arrived at the market at about 6.30 pm when traders were getting ready to close their shops.
“When the robbers came, they started shooting sporadically to scare people away but there was a counter-attack by the people in the market, which increased the number of casualties.
“I? saw them, they were five in number. One of them wore a mask, while the rest were uncovered.’’
The nurse on duty at the Dutse General Hospital where the victims were admitted, Miss Eucharia Anyansi, told NAN that one of the victims was brought to the hospital dead, while five were at the theatre for surgery to remove bullets and two were admitted in the ward.
One of the victims, Hamisu Saidu, told NAN that he was in his house near the market when stray bullets hit him, his father and his 10-year old sibling, Haruna Saidu, who were all admitted in the same hospital.
Another victim, Labasi Nuhu, said he was returning from the market where he had gone to collect his mobile phone which he gave someone to charge the battery for him when he ran into the robbers.
“They shot me on the thigh and I fell down and an oncoming vehicle ran over my leg, breaking it,’’ Nuhu said.
Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer in Jigawa, ASP Abdu Jinjir, said that he had been told about the incident but added that the police command had not received any useful information about it.