Bandits strike Sokoto Communities, Kill 7 People, Abduct many

Seven people have been killed and several others abducted after bandits attacked Gatawa and Shalla communities in the Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas of Sokoto State. Residents said gunmen invaded Gatawa around 1.30 a.m., firing shots as local vigilantes attempted to repel the attack. Five people, including four vigilantes, were confirmed dead in the community, while two others were injured.

Witnesses said the attackers abducted six people, including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys, before rustling livestock and fleeing. Residents also reported that the group had not contacted families of the abducted victims, adding that a previously kidnapped relative was killed despite a ransom payment. After leaving Gatawa, the bandits reportedly moved to Shalla in Isa LGA, killing two people and kidnapping an unspecified number of women.

The member representing Isa in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Habibu Modachi, confirmed the Shalla incident and said the attackers also burnt food storage facilities and a residential house. He called for a review of military operations in the area, noting that the bandits often strike villages and escape before security operatives arrive. The spokesman for the Sokoto Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he was in Abuja and had not yet received information on the attacks.

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Meanwhile, the Chairman of Sabon Birni LGA, Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu, denied reports circulating online that bandits attacked a mosque in the area and killed an imam and worshippers. He said no such incident occurred, a position supported by a lawmaker from the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, who also described the reports as false.