At least 21 people are feared dead while 37 others have been abducted after heavily armed terrorists launched a coordinated overnight attack on Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, triggering a fresh wave of displacement across the area.
The attack, which residents said began around 9 p.m. on Monday and lasted until after 3 a.m. on Tuesday, was the second assault on the community within one week.
Residents said the assailants killed several villagers, set houses ablaze, rustled livestock and forced thousands to flee their homes, leaving the once-bustling community virtually deserted.
Those identified among the victims include Kabiru Tanimu, Ayuba Hashim and Yakubu Mu’azu, while several others remain unaccounted for.
The violence also sparked another tragedy as terrified villagers attempted to escape across a river after receiving reports that the terrorists were approaching.
According to residents, overloaded boats conveying fleeing villagers capsized, throwing about 25 people, mostly women and children, into the water. Seven people were reportedly rescued alive, while 18 others are feared to have drowned as frantic searches continued for the missing.
One resident alleged that the attackers confirmed the abduction of 37 people after relatives called the victims’ mobile 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,” the resident said.
He explained that many of the victims were kidnapped from nearby farms where they had sought refuge from repeated attacks on the community.
“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 terrorists 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 terrorists while they led their mothers away,” he added.
The resident further accused security personnel of failing to respond despite receiving early warnings about the invasion.
“We excused them during the previous attack because the terrorists had surrounded them and were firing at them. But this time, they were informed early enough, yet nobody came to rescue us,” he lamented.
Another resident, who escaped to Sokoto metropolis with dozens of others, described the attack as the worst the community had experienced.
“We fled to Sokoto because we have never experienced terror like what happened last Wednesday night. About 40 of us escaped here, and everyone is now staying with relatives,” he said.
A local vigilante member, who spoke anonymously, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing residents to identify wealthy households and locations where livestock were kept.
He said security operatives stationed in the area admitted they lacked adequate equipment to confront the terrorists despite being alerted.
“We informed the security operatives stationed in our village and asked them to support us so we could confront the terrorists but they told us they did not have adequate equipment,” he said.
According to the vigilante, fewer than 20 residents remain in Tsamaye following the attack, while more than 100 vehicles have been used to evacuate displaced villagers from the area.
He added that the attackers also razed two houses belonging to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a member of the local vigilante group.
“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,” he said.
Reports indicated that the attack has emptied several 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, as residents fled for safety.
The latest assault came barely a week after terrorists attacked the same community, killing eight residents, including three worshippers inside a mosque, underscoring the worsening security situation in Sabon Birni, one of the areas hardest hit by banditry in Nigeria’s North-West.
Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Ayuba Hashimu, confirmed the latest attack 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 told newsmen.
Also confirming the attack, the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmad Rufai, said additional security personnel had been deployed to the affected communities to restore peace and prevent further attacks.