Armed bandits on Tuesday night stormed the Tarah community in the Sabon-Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, abducting nine residents and leaving one person with a gunshot wound to the arm.
Naijaonpoint reports that the incident is the latest in a troubling pattern of repeated attacks across northern Nigeria.
According to Daily Post, residents said the swift mobilisation of community youth prevented what could have been a much deadlier incident.
The youths reportedly confronted the attackers and slowed down the abduction efforts despite being unarmed and outmatched.
The community had been left particularly vulnerable just days earlier after members of its vigilante group were redeployed to Katsira, creating a critical security gap.
“This attack caught our people at their weakest moment because the vigilante group had only recently been moved out,” one of the residents reportedly said.
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Bakastine, took to his 𝕏 handle on Wednesday, November 19, to highlight what he described as worsening threats facing rural communities across the North.
He said the repeated attacks underscored the urgent need for coordinated security action to protect vulnerable populations.
The latest abduction happened barely two months after armed bandits abducted no fewer than 49 residents of Makuwana village in Sabon Birnin Local Government Area of Sokoto State, while two persons drowned as they attempted to escape the attack.
Naijaonpoint reports that the village head, Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim, disclosed the incident during a condolence visit by the Deputy Governor, Idris Mohammed Gobir, after the community suffered both banditry and flooding in quick succession.
Ibrahim said Makuwana had been attacked three times in the past week, with the latest raid forcing some villagers to flee through a river, where two drowned.
“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,” he said.
The traditional ruler also lamented that several residents lost property in the flood that submerged parts of the village. He appealed for urgent government intervention to help the community recover from the twin tragedies.
In his remarks, Deputy Governor Gobir commiserated with the people of Makuwana and assured them of the government’s support.
He said the state would consider constructing an alternative road to Sabon Birnin after floodwaters washed away the main route linking the community.
Gobir also promised continued support for security agencies battling banditry in the area and urged residents to remain steadfast in prayers for peace and stability.
He further prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the incidents.
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