No fewer than 11 people have been killed in separate bandit attacks on communities in Rabah and Sabon Birni local government areas of Sokoto State.
The latest attack occurred on Monday in Maikujera village, Rabah LGA, where seven people, including two operatives of the Sokoto Community Guard Corps (SCGC), were killed. Three women were also reportedly killed in nearby Angamba village during the attack.
The killings came less than 24 hours after suspected bandits dressed in military uniforms attacked Unguwan Lalle community in Sabon Birni LGA, killing four people and injuring several others.
A security source told Daily Trust that the attackers, who arrived on more than 30 motorcycles at about 2:30pm, stormed Maikujera and opened fire on residents before abducting an unspecified number of people.
“Four people, including two members of the Sokoto Community Guard Corps, were killed in Maikujera. We are now heading to Angamba, where three women were also killed by the bandits,” the source said.
An SCGC operative, who requested anonymity, confirmed the death of the two personnel, saying they were overwhelmed by the large number of attackers.
“We rushed to defend the community, but we lost two of our men. The bandits were many and came on more than 30 motorcycles,” he said.
He also alleged that the community guards lacked adequate logistics, claiming they had no armoured vehicle and had been buying ammunition with personal funds.
A police officer in the area said the attackers crossed into the community from Bakura in neighbouring Zamfara State, attempted to rustle livestock and opened fire when some residents resisted.
“The community is about 10 minutes from Rabah town. There is a military base nearby, but by the time security personnel arrived, the attackers had escaped into the Bakura forest,” the officer said.
In the earlier attack on Unguwan Lalle, residents said about 200 heavily armed bandits, disguised in military uniforms, invaded the community around 8pm on Sunday and operated until about 2am on Monday.
The assailants reportedly looted homes and shops, rustled livestock and shot anyone attempting to flee.
“We thought they were soldiers because they were wearing military uniforms. They surrounded the village, opened fire on residents, looted our homes and shops and carted away our livestock,” a resident said.
The victims were identified as Bilyaminu Wakkala and Danbaki Tulunawa, while the two others were residents of nearby Kongurus village.
Residents said the attackers struck less than an hour after troops who had responded to an earlier incident withdrew from the village.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, confirmed the killing of a farmer in the area but said he had yet to receive details of the attack on Unguwan Lalle.
Schools outside Sokoto metropolis shut
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Government has ordered the closure of all public primary and secondary schools outside the state capital following the worsening security situation.
The directive, which took effect on Monday, exempts schools in Sokoto North and Sokoto South local government areas, as well as selected schools in Wamakko, Dange Shuni and Kware LGAs.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmed Ladan Ala, confirmed the development, saying the decision followed a Federal Government directive to temporarily close schools because of the prevailing insecurity.
He said all other public primary and secondary schools across the state would remain closed until further notice.
The closure comes as schools are in the 11th week of the third term and are preparing to begin end-of-term examinations next week.
A secondary school teacher, who asked not to be named, said principals were informed through the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS).
“We did not receive any direct official communication. We were informed through our association that schools should close from Monday,” the teacher said.
Another headmaster said his school had yet to receive a formal notice but observed that some schools, including the Almajiri School in Shuni, had already closed.
A government official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak, said the decision was prompted by the worsening security situation.
Several rural communities in Sokoto have witnessed repeated attacks, killings, kidnappings and displacement despite ongoing military operations against bandits.
Education experts warned that prolonged school closures could worsen the state’s out-of-school children crisis.