Sokoto residents seek help after bandits sack eight communities

Hundreds of residents in Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State have fled their homes following coordinated attacks by bandits that emptied entire villages.

The National Emergency Management Agency and the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency confirmed the mass displacement during a joint assessment visit to a temporary Internally Displaced Persons settlement at the 30 Houses Estate in Shagari town on Friday.

Community leaders, including the Hakimin ‘Yan Dundaji, Malam Magaji, and the Maigarin Tungar-Barke, Muhammadu Tudu, said the bandits struck three days earlier, forcing families from at least eight communities to abandon their homes.

The affected villages include Tungar-Barke, Lungu, Aske-Dodo, Tungar-Doruwa, Zango, ‘Yan Yandu, Tungar Na’anza, and Ila. Many of the displaced are now crowded into makeshift shelters, with limited food and basic necessities.

This crisis is beyond what the communities can bear. We need protection and immediate relief,” an elderly person at the IDP told the visiting officials.

The victims appealed for urgent government intervention, particularly the deployment of security operatives to secure their ancestral homes and enable their safe return.

Sokoto SEMA said it was working with NEMA and other relevant agencies to provide relief materials while liaising with security authorities to restore normalcy.