Armed bandits continue to assert control over at least 10 local government areas in Sokoto State, leaving behind a trail of killings, abductions, and mass displacement despite repeated military operations and government assurances.
Residents revealed that communities in Sabon Birni LGA, home of the state’s deputy governor, Idris Gobir, have become epicentres of violence. Villages are raided at night, homes set ablaze, and residents abducted or killed. Survivors now live in constant fear.
In Isa LGA, bandits operate openly during the day, patrolling communities such as Bafarawa, Kamarawa, Arume, and Gebe. On highways, including Gatawa and Gundumi, they mount checkpoints, abducting commuters at will. The abduction of the district head of Sabon Birni remains a stark reminder of their impunity.
The violence extends to Goronyo, Wurno, Rabah, Tureta, Dange/Shuni, and Shagari LGAs, where shops and grain silos are routinely looted. In Illela, Tangaza, Gudu, Binji, Silame, and Kebbe LGAs, attacks often happen around 2 a.m., when families are asleep. Survivors describe entire communities being emptied overnight, creating a swelling population of displaced people.
Farms have been abandoned, schools shut, and local economies destroyed. Humanitarian agencies warn of worsening food insecurity as displaced families struggle to survive.
Colonel Ahmed Abdul Usman (Rtd), security adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, admitted to the Vanguard that local informants remain one of the biggest obstacles to restoring order. “Informants are worse than bandits,” he said, accusing them of betraying their communities for money.
Governor Aliyu has vowed that informants will be treated like the bandits they aid. “No influence, social status or connection will shield those caught from justice,” he warned.
To strengthen operations, the government has distributed patrol vehicles and motorcycles to security agencies and mobilised local guards to support intelligence gathering. The governor has also visited internally displaced persons’ camps, distributing food, clothing, and cash assistance.
But residents say these measures remain inadequate against the scale of destruction. Rural communities still live under what many describe as “a parallel authority” — where decisions on who farms, who travels, or who survives are dictated by bandits rather than the state.
Despite years of promises and billions spent on security, Sokoto remains one of the frontlines of Nigeria’s wider banditry crisis, where the authority of government is contested daily by heavily armed groups.
