Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have killed no fewer than 12 persons in an attack on Kurya village, in the Rabbah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A resident in the affected community told journalists in Sokoto that the incident happened on Sunday night following the invasion of the village by suspected terrorists who came with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically.

The source said four of the victims were set ablaze by the terrorists, and three women were abducted as the terrorists also rustled an unspecified number of livestock.

The resident also said that troops of the Joint Taskforce North West Operation Hadarin Daji responded to a distress call from members of the community, mobilised and confronted the terrorists, neutralising some of them in the process.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the attack but said the command would issue a formal statement after compiling details on the attack.

He said the update the police had was that seven persons were killed and several others sustained different degrees of injuries.