Bandits take over Sokoto villages, residents protest

Sokoto boiled on Tuesday as hundreds of angry residents blocked the busy Sokoto-Lagos trunk A highway in Shagari Local Government, protesting the endless reign of terror unleashed by bandits.

The protesters invovling, men, women, and children carried their pain to the streets, accusing the government of abandoning them to merciless killers who now call the shots in rural Sokoto.

“For three days straight, these bandits have been invading our villages,” lamented Malam Kasimu from Rinaye. “They killed three people, kidnapped our community leader and our Imam, and took away 15 others. Entire villages are deserted.”

The horror stories kept pouring in. From Aske Dodo to Jandutse, from Tungar Barke to Zango, the once-bustling farming settlements are now ghost towns. Families are scattered, farms abandoned, and the fear of hunger is creeping in.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking was the cry of a mother, Rabi Shehu, from Jandutse:
“Since the attack, I have not seen my children. We all ran in different directions. I have no food, no shelter, and no idea where my children are,” she wept bitterly.

Officials of NEMA and SEMA who visited confirmed the devastation, saying more than 30 houses in Shagari are now crammed with displaced people. Even local chiefs, the District Head of Dundaji, Malam Muhammad Magaji, and the Head of Tungar Barke, Muhammadu Tudu have lost their homes.

The Sokoto State Government, through its Security Adviser, Aminu Bodinga, admitted the “unfortunate happenings” and promised action. But on the streets of Shagari, the message was loud and clear: the people no longer believe government promises.