A community leader, Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf, who disclosed this on Sunday, said the incident took place on Saturday night, adding that the affected communities were; Raka, Raka Dutse and Filin Gawa.

Also confirming the attack, the immediate past chairman of the local government, Alhaji Bashar Kalenjeni, said 18 persons were killed at Raka, 17 at Filin Gawa and two at Raka Dutse.

He said, “We wanted to bury them in the night, but the bandits came back and dispersed us. As at this morning (Sunday), the deceased are still there unburied.”

He said the bandits angrily killed the villagers because they refused to pay the levy imposed on the entire members of the communities by bandits.

He said there are other villagers who are still unaccounted for, adding, “Right now, we are waiting for security operatives to lead us to the villages in order to bury the dead ones.

Spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, didn’t pick his calls