Bandits reportedly kill four, loot property worth millions in Sokoto

Suspected bandits have reportedly killed four persons and carted away livestock, cash and other valuables worth hundreds of millions of naira during separate attacks on Gandi and Maikujera communities in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Residents, who spoke to Daily Trust, said the attacks occurred between Friday evening and Saturday morning, forcing many people to flee their homes.

The attackers were said to have rustled large numbers of cattle, looted shops and fuel outlets, and injured three other residents during the raids.

A resident of Gandi, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the gunmen stormed the community at about 7 a.m. on Saturday after rustling more than 1,500 cattle from surrounding settlements.

He said the attackers attempted to break into a filling station to steal fuel but found the facility locked.

“They became angry and repeatedly shot at a fuel dispensing pump, destroying it. They later moved to black-market fuel vendors, where they stole large quantities of petrol and engine oil,” he said.

The resident said the gunmen later invaded houses built by the Government of Qatar for internally displaced persons, IDPs, where they reportedly killed two residents before soldiers arrived and repelled them.

In Maikujera village, another resident said the attackers invaded the community at about 6 p.m. on Friday and operated for several hours, rustling livestock and looting shops.

He identified the two persons killed during the attack as Lawwali Mikailu, popularly known as Alako, and Asmau Nanuwa, also known as Bodi.

The resident said three other people sustained gunshot injuries and were receiving treatment at a hospital.

He added that the attackers stole petrol, engine oil and cash worth more than N500,000 from his shop.

According to him, the community suffered losses estimated at more than N250 million during the attack.

“The attackers rustled more than 150 cattle in addition to stealing cash from shops, bread, soft drinks, recharge cards, mobile phones and several other valuables,” he said.

He alleged that many of the stolen cattle were taken from Akale, Tudun Bagayi, Tudun Dikko and other villages located deep inside the forest.

Another resident of Maikujera said the gunmen arrived on about 200 motorcycles, with three persons riding on each motorcycle.

“They looted large amounts of cash and petrol, stole recharge cards and carted away many mobile phones from charging and phone repair shops,” he said.

The resident alleged that the attackers had gathered the rustled livestock from communities in Bodinga, Shagari, Yabo and parts of Tureta Local Government Area before passing through the Maikujera bridge because floodwaters had made other routes impassable.

Residents appealed to the relevant authorities to urgently deploy additional security personnel to the affected communities, saying many families had fled their homes while others were preparing to relocate over fears of further attacks.

They said the communities had come under repeated attacks in the past week, alleging that bandits invaded the area on Monday, Thursday and Friday.

One resident, who spoke amid tears, said traders were considering shutting down their businesses after receiving information that the attackers were planning another raid on Sunday evening.

“We are living in constant fear. Some people have already fled, while others are closing their shops to save their lives because we have been told the bandits are currently on their way again,” he said.

The residents commended the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in Rabah for responding to distress calls but appealed for the deployment of additional security personnel to support the police in tackling the recurring attacks.

The Sokoto State Police Command and the state government had yet to comment on the incidents as of the time of filing this report.