Fear grips Sokoto village as bandits kill four, kidnap cleric, six residents

By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Fear and panic have gripped residents of Dudu Barade village in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State following a late-night bandits’ attack that left four people dead and seven others abducted.
A local source in the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our reporter that the heavily armed assailants stormed the village at about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday and launched the deadly assault.
According to the source, the attackers opened fire on residents during the raid, killing four people — three men and one woman.
The victims were identified as Suleiman Dahiru, Naziru Abubakar, Isah Abubakar and Wakala Muhammad.
The attackers also abducted an Islamic scholar, Malam Dahiru Lawwali, along with several women, including his wife and an infant.
Others taken during the attack were identified as Safiya Malam Dahiru, Asmau Abubakar, Ubaida Ibrahim, Rakiya Yakubu and Nafisa Aliyu, while the identity of the infant was yet to be confirmed.
Residents said local vigilantes confronted the attackers and engaged them in a gun duel but were eventually overpowered by the bandits.
Community members lamented what they described as the absence of adequate security presence in the area and called on authorities to urgently deploy security personnel to protect lives and property.
“We are in a difficult situation. Many residents had gone out to observe iftar when the attack occurred, and most people are now afraid to sleep in the village for fear of another assault,” the source said.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said he would reach out to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for details but had yet to provide further information as of the time of filing this report.