Armed bandits have entrenched their reign of terror across 10 local government areas of Sokoto State, leaving behind destroyed villages, mass graves, and thousands of displaced persons.
From Sabon Birni — hometown of the state Deputy Governor, Idris Mohammad Gobir — to Isa, Goronyo, Wurno, Rabah, Tureta, Dange/Shuni, Shagari, Illela, Tangaza, and Gudu, heavily armed gangs have imposed themselves as rulers, attacking communities at will.
In Isa LGA, residents say bandits operate in daylight, parading rifles and mounting illegal checkpoints along major highways, kidnapping motorists without resistance. In Sabon Birni, nights have turned into theatres of blood, with families burnt alive and homes reduced to ashes.
The abduction of the District Head of Sabon Birni remains a haunting reminder of the criminals’ brazenness.
In other councils such as Goronyo and Wurno, the attackers deploy guerrilla tactics — striking during storms, raiding food stores, and carting away even biscuits and soft drinks.
Villages in Illela, Tangaza, Gudu, Binji, Silame, and Kebbe have been wiped out overnight, with residents slaughtered in their beds and survivors fleeing in droves.
The Special Adviser on Security to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, Col. Ahmed Abdul Usman (Rtd), identified community-based informants as the biggest obstacle in the fight against banditry.
“Informants are worse than the bandits. They betray their people for blood money,” he said.
Governor Aliyu vowed that informants would be treated as criminals and warned that no political, social, or religious influence would shield anyone caught aiding the gangs.
To check the worsening crisis, the state government recently distributed 14 Hilux patrol vans and 100 motorcycles to security agencies, alongside fuel and allowances to support mobility.
Community guards have also been mobilised to complement security formations with intelligence and resistance.
The governor has visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, offering food, clothing, and cash relief.
But with farms abandoned, schools deserted, and livelihoods destroyed, observers say such palliatives barely scratch the surface of Sokoto’s humanitarian crisis.
Despite government assurances, Sokoto remains a battlefield where the authority of the state is daily contested by ruthless warlords, leaving traumatised villagers to live under the shadow of fear.
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