Armed men believed to be terrorists attacked a village in Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Sallah day, killing six people and abducting several others. The attack occurred around 1:30 am in Tudun Doki village.
The Sokoto Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Rufa’i, confirmed the incident, stating that six bodies have been found so far, but the exact number of kidnapped individuals is still unknown.
In another incident, suspected terrorists kidnapped an unspecified number of traders traveling on the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road.
Sokoto, along with other northwestern and central states, has been plagued by heavily armed gangs. These groups, operating from camps in a vast forest covering Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, have carried out mass abductions, looting, and burning of homes. They have also kidnapped students from schools.
Recently, attacks by these gangs have increased, particularly in Katsina and Zamfara states. Last month, they raided four villages in Katsina’s Sabuwa district, killing 25 people, mainly local vigilantes, in retaliation for military operations against their hideouts.
Although these gunmen are driven by financial motives and lack ideological leanings, there is growing concern among analysts and officials about their ties with jihadist groups involved in a long-standing rebellion in the northeast.
Victoria Ibiama
