Bandits Kill 21, Abduct 37 in Fresh Sokoto Attack
By Fahad Faruk Galadanchi
No fewer than 21 people are feared dead, while 37 others were abducted after heavily armed bandits attacked Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Residents said the attackers stormed the community around 9:00 p.m. on Monday and operated until after 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, burning houses, rustling livestock and forcing thousands of residents to flee.
Witnesses said the attack triggered another tragedy as villagers attempted to escape across a river after receiving reports that the bandits were closing in. Two overcrowded boats reportedly capsized, leaving about 18 people, mostly women and children, feared drowned, while seven others were rescued alive.
A resident said relatives who tried calling missing family members were answered by the attackers, who claimed responsibility for abducting 37 people.
“When we called our relatives, the bandits answered their phones and told us they had taken 37 people,” the resident said.
According to him, many villagers had been sleeping in nearby farms and bushes to avoid repeated attacks, but the gunmen searched those locations, rounded up residents and abducted mostly women and children.
He added that the attackers even placed three infants on the ground before leading their mothers away.
Residents also accused security personnel of failing to respond despite receiving early information about the invasion.
A local vigilante member said the bandits moved from house to house, forcing residents to identify wealthy homes and locations where livestock were kept before looting the community.
He said vigilantes appealed for support from security operatives stationed in the area but were told they lacked the equipment needed to confront the attackers.
According to him, fewer than 20 people remain in Tsamaye, while more than 100 vehicles have transported displaced residents to safer locations since the attack.
He also disclosed that two houses belonging to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a vigilante member, were set ablaze during the attack.
Residents identified some of those killed as Kabiru Mallam Tanimu, Ayuba Mallam Hashim and Yakubu Mu’azu, while many others remain unaccounted for.
The attack also displaced residents from several neighbouring communities, including Borai, Tsululu, Garin Tudu, Bukka Hamsin, Turkawa, Rumbukawa, Dutsin Na Umma, Zangon Mu’azu, Arawa, Kuru, Zangon Mallam, Mai Hurde, Zugun, Gidan Na Birni, Mashaya and Marina.
The affected residents appealed to the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to deploy more security personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to reclaim the area and enable displaced families to return home.
Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, confirmed the attack but said the casualty figures were yet to be independently verified.
The spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, also confirmed the incident, stating that additional security personnel had been deployed to restore peace and prevent further attacks.
The latest assault comes days after bandits attacked the same Tsamaye community, killing eight residents, including three worshippers inside a mosque, underscoring the worsening insecurity in Sabon Birni, one of Sokoto State’s most troubled local government areas.
