Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - No fewer than 21 persons were feared dead, 37 others abducted, while thousands fled their homes after heavily armed bandits launched an attack on Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State
The attack, which lasted from about 9:00 p.m. on Monday,
August 3, 2026 until after 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, also left two homes burnt,
livestock stolen and the entire community deserted, witnesses told Daily Trust.
Residents said the attack also triggered another tragedy
when scores of villagers attempted to escape across a river after receiving
information that the bandits were approaching.
According to locals, the overloaded boats capsized, with
about 25 people, mostly women and children, swept away by the water. While
seven persons were rescued alive, 18 others are feared to have drowned, as
families continued searching for their missing relatives.
One resident, who was preparing to flee from the village,
told Daily Trust that the attackers themselves disclosed that they had abducted
37 people after relatives called the victims” phones.
“When we called our relatives, the bandits answered the
phones and told us they were the ones who abducted them. They said they had
taken 37 people,” he said.
He explained that while some victims were seized inside the
village, many others were captured in nearby farms where they had gone to sleep
for fear of recurring attacks.
“Because of the frequent attacks, many people no longer
sleep in the village. They spend the night in farms and bushes to avoid being
attacked. This time, the bandits searched through the farms, woke people up and
took them away.
“Most of those abducted were women and children. I
personally saw three infants placed on the ground by the bandits while they led
their mothers away.”
The resident lamented that despite informing security
personnel about the invasion, no reinforcement arrived before the attackers
completed their operation.
“We excused them during the previous attack because the
bandits had surrounded them and were firing at them. But this time, they were
informed early enough, yet nobody came to rescue us.”
Another resident who fled to Sokoto metropolis in the early hours of Tuesday said their village had been completely dispersed and everyone ran for their lives.
“We fled to Sokoto because we have never experienced terror like what happened on Wednesday night. About 40 of us escaped here, and everyone is now staying with relatives.”
A local vigilante member, who requested anonymity for
security reasons, said the bandits first entered the village around 8:00 p.m.,
moving from house to house while forcing residents to identify wealthy
households and locations where livestock were kept.
“Some people managed to escape and alerted us. We informed
the security operatives stationed in our village and asked them to support us
so that we could confront the bandits, but they told us they did not have
adequate equipment. We also contacted our traditional leader, but there was
little he could do apart from sympathising with us.
“When the gunfire intensified, we had no option but to
hide.”
According to him, the security personnel urgently require
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to effectively respond to attacks across the
difficult terrain.
He added that fewer than 20 residents now remain in the
community after the attack, with over 100 vehicles transporting displaced
villagers from yesterday evening to now.
“From yesterday until today, nobody has eaten because of the
trauma and panic caused by the attack,” he said.
Residents also said the bandits razed two houses belonging
to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a vigilante member.
“Our colleague was with us defending the village when his
house was burnt. We only found ashes afterwards. We cannot even determine how
many members of his family or livestock died in the fire because everything was
reduced to ashes.”
Those confirmed k!lled during the attack, according to
residents, include Kabiru Mallam Tanimu, Ayuba Mallam Hashim and Yakubu Mu”azu,
while many others remain missing.
The attack has also forced residents from numerous
surrounding settlements to flee. The affected communities include Borai,
Tsululu, Garin Tudu, Bukka Hamsin, Turkawa, Rumbukawa, Dutsin Na Umma, Zangon
Mu’azu, Arawa, Kuru, Zangon Mallam, Mai Hurde, Zugun, Gidan Na Birni, Mashaya,
Marina and several others.
The displaced residents appealed to the federal and Sokoto
State governments to urgently deploy additional security personnel and provide
APCs to enable security operatives reclaim the area and allow displaced
families to return home safely.
The Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, confirmed that the incidents occurred but said he could not independently verify the casualty figures.
“The incidents indeed happened, but I was not there myself. Therefore, I have to verify the figures before I can confirm them,” he said.
The spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP
Ahmad Rufai, confirmed the attack, saying additional security personnel had
been deployed to restore peace and prevent further attacks in the affected
communities.
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