Residents of Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State have been left counting their losses after a deadly overnight bandit attack claimed no fewer than 21 lives, left 37 persons abducted and forced thousands to flee their homes.
The attack, which began around 9:00 p.m. on Monday and lasted until after 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, also saw armed assailants burn homes, rustle livestock and leave the once-bustling community virtually deserted.
Residents said the tragedy was compounded when villagers fleeing the attack attempted to cross a river after receiving reports that the gunmen were approaching.
According to eyewitnesses, overloaded boats capsized during the escape, throwing about 25 people—mostly women and children—into the water.
While seven persons were rescued alive, 18 others are feared to have drowned, with families continuing frantic searches for missing relatives.
According to Daily Trust report, residents said that relatives who tried reaching missing family members by phone were answered by the attackers themselves.
“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,” the resident said.
He explained that many of those abducted had been sleeping on nearby farms and in bushes to avoid repeated attacks on the village.
“Because of the frequent attacks, many people no longer sleep in the village. They spend the night in farms and bushes. This time, the bandits searched through the farms, woke people up and took them away,” he said.
According to him, most of the abductees were women and children.
“I personally saw three infants placed on the ground by the bandits while they led their mothers away,” he added.
Residents also accused security personnel of failing to respond despite being alerted early about the attack.
“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,” the resident lamented.
Another survivor, who fled to Sokoto metropolis, described the attack as the worst the community had ever witnessed.
“We fled because we have never experienced terror like what happened that night. About 40 of us escaped here, and everyone is now staying with relatives,” he said.
A local vigilante member, who requested anonymity, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing residents to identify wealthy households and locations where livestock were kept.
He disclosed that security operatives stationed in the area admitted they lacked the equipment needed to confront the attackers, while appeals to traditional authorities yielded little beyond sympathy.
“When the gunfire intensified, we had no option but to hide,” he said, calling for the urgent deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to strengthen security operations across the difficult terrain.
According to the vigilante, fewer than 20 residents now remain in Tsamaye after the attack, with more than 100 vehicles evacuating displaced villagers from the area.
“From yesterday until today, nobody has eaten because of the trauma and panic caused by the attack,” he said.
Residents also reported that the bandits razed two houses belonging to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a vigilante member, while several livestock were destroyed in the fire.
Those confirmed killed by residents include Kabiru Mallam Tanimu, Ayuba Mallam Hashim and Yakubu Mu’azu, although many others remain missing.
The violence has triggered fresh displacement across neighbouring communities, including 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 and Marina.
Displaced residents appealed to the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to urgently deploy more security personnel and provide APCs to enable security forces reclaim the area and facilitate the safe return of affected communities.
Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, confirmed that the attack occurred but said the casualty figures were yet to be independently verified.
“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, also confirmed the attack, stating that additional security personnel had been deployed to restore calm and prevent further attacks.
The latest assault comes days after another attack on Tsamaye in which eight residents, including three worshippers inside a mosque, were reportedly killed, underscoring the worsening security situation in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, one of the areas hardest hit by banditry in Nigeria’s North-West.
