- Bandits Abduct Nine Residents In Fresh Attack On Sokoto Community
- Youths confront attackers despite lacking weapons and security presence.
- Government promises support after repeated assaults and flood devastation.
Armed bandits launched a fresh attack on the Tarah community in the Sabon-Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Tuesday night, abducting nine residents and injuring one person who sustained a gunshot wound to the arm.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that residents said the attack unfolded swiftly, marking yet another incident in a growing series of assaults across northern Nigeria. According to eyewitnesses, community youths mobilised immediately and confronted the attackers, slowing down the abduction despite being unarmed.
The community was left exposed after its vigilante team was recently redeployed to Katsira, creating a security vacuum. A resident said, “This attack caught our people at their weakest moment because the vigilante group had only recently been moved out.”
Security analyst Bakastine, writing on his 𝕏 handle on Wednesday, warned about what he described as the increasing vulnerability of rural settlements. He said the repeated attacks highlight the urgent need for coordinated security measures to protect remote communities.
Tuesday night’s incident comes just months after armed bandits abducted at least 49 residents of Makuwana village in the same local government area. During that attack, two villagers drowned while attempting to escape through a river.
The village head of Makuwana, Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim, had confirmed during a condolence visit by Deputy Governor Idris Mohammed Gobir that the community had been attacked three times in one week. He said, “The attackers whisked away at least 49 people.
As Muslims, we have accepted both incidents in good faith. We are now appealing to the state government to come to our aid.”
Ibrahim added that many residents also lost property after a flood submerged parts of the village, deepening the community’s hardship.
Deputy Governor Gobir assured residents of government support, saying the state would consider constructing an alternative road to Sabon Birnin after the main route was washed away by floodwaters.
He also pledged continued backing for security agencies working to contain banditry in the region and offered prayers for peace.
