- At least 17 individuals, including seven festive visitors, were killed when heavily armed bandits launched a brutal assault on the Dangulbi community in the Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
- Over a hundred attackers riding motorcycles fired indiscriminately at fleeing locals, systematically looted around 20 shops, and forced large numbers of villagers to seek refuge in surrounding forests.
- The heavily armed assailants occupied the community for several hours post-attack, preventing traumatized locals from conducting funeral rites and burying the deceased until late into the night.
A festive Eid-el-Kabir celebration turned into a scene of mourning and bloodshed on Sunday morning after a horde of bandits invaded the Dangulbi community in the Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing no fewer than 17 people.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the attackers, estimated to be numbering in the hundreds and riding on motorcycles, breached the community between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., opening fire on the unsuspecting population immediately upon arrival.
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Local sources revealed that the assailants had tracked from Bagega village in Zamfara State, moving through Barayar Zaki before staging their final assault from Gizazza village where they had spent the prior night.
The indiscriminate gunfire threw the entire community into chaos, forcing panicked residents to flee in multiple directions toward the safety of nearby forests.
Among the 17 victims identified following the onslaught were local residents Munde, Nagoma, Abdullahi, Danbala, Munden Chana, Muhammadu Dan Amo, Hassan, Abubakar Danbaba, and Yidi Bafillace.
Heartbreakingly, the fatalities included seven individuals who had traveled from outside the local government to celebrate the Sallah festivities with loved ones.
Five of these victims were visitors from Adarawa in the Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, while two others had arrived from Gidan Gambo in Sokoto’s Shagari Local Government Area.
Following the initial killings, the gunmen established a siege over Dangulbi for several hours, making it impossible for surviving villagers to safely recover the bodies or conduct traditional funeral prayers until after 9:30 p.m.
when the gang finally retreated. In addition to the loss of life, the bandits looted approximately 20 shops before expanding their operation into neighboring communities like Kukoki and Birnin Magaji, where a number of villagers were abducted.
Fortunately, the abductees managed to escape their captors later in the night after a heavy rainstorm disrupted the criminal gang.
The worsening security wave has sparked mass displacement, with numerous families fleeing Dangulbi to take refuge across safer regions within the Tureta, Shagari, Gummi, and Bukkuyum local government areas.
Shaken by the serial violence, local communities are appealing to both state and federal authorities to urgently deploy reinforced security detachments and fix the dilapidated road networks, noting that poor road infrastructure severely hinders swift military responses.
Confirming the tragedy, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, stated that the command is fully aware of the incident and that security operatives are working round the clock to contain the security situation and restore normalcy.
