By Ado Oyeyemi
No fewer than 21 people are feared dead and 37 others abducted after heavily armed bandits invaded Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
The attack, which reportedly began around 9 p.m. on Monday and lasted until the early hours of Tuesday, also left two houses razed, several livestock stolen and the community largely deserted.
Residents said panic triggered another tragedy as villagers attempted to escape across a nearby river after receiving reports that the gunmen were advancing.
According to eyewitnesses, overcrowded boats conveying fleeing residents capsized, leaving about 18 people, mostly women and children, feared drowned, while seven others were rescued alive.
One resident alleged that the attackers confirmed they had abducted 37 people after relatives called the victims’ mobile phones.
He explained that while some residents were kidnapped from their homes, many others were seized in nearby farms where they had sought refuge from repeated attacks.
According to him, many villagers had adopted the practice of sleeping in farmlands and bushes to avoid attacks on the community, but the gunmen combed through the areas and abducted several people, most of them women and children.
The resident also alleged that security personnel were informed of the invasion before the attack escalated but no reinforcement arrived before the bandits completed their operation.
Another resident, who fled to Sokoto metropolis, said the entire community had been displaced as survivors escaped to safer locations to save their lives.
A local vigilante member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing residents to identify wealthy individuals and locations where livestock were kept.
He claimed members of the vigilante group sought support from security operatives stationed in the area but were informed that they lacked the equipment needed to confront the gunmen.
The vigilante member appealed for the deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers and additional security personnel, insisting that existing resources were inadequate to tackle the worsening insecurity.
He added that fewer than 20 residents remained in the community after the attack, while more than 100 vehicles had transported displaced villagers to safer locations.
Residents also said two houses belonging to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a vigilante member, were set ablaze during the assault.
Among those reportedly killed were Kabiru Mallam Tanimu, Ayuba Mallam Hashim and Yakubu Mu’azu, while several other residents remain unaccounted for.
The attack also forced residents of neighbouring communities, including Borai, Tsululu, Garin Tudu, Bukka Hamsin, Turkawa, Rumbukawa, Dutsin Na Umma, Zangon Mu’azu, Arawa, Kuru and others, to abandon their homes.
The displaced residents appealed to the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to deploy more security personnel and military equipment to reclaim the area and enable them to return home.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, said the attack occurred but noted that the casualty figures were yet to be independently verified.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, also confirmed the attack, stating that additional security operatives had been deployed to restore normalcy and prevent further assaults.
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The latest incident comes days after bandits reportedly attacked the same community, killing eight residents, including three worshippers in a mosque, underscoring the persistent insecurity confronting Sabon Birni and other parts of Sokoto State.
