No fewer than 21 persons are feared dead, with 37 others abducted as heavily armed terrorists launched an attack on Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Thousands of residents also fled their homes after the second attack on the community in a week.
According to an eyewitness, the attack, which lasted from about 9p.m., on Monday until after 3a.m., yesterday, also left two homes burnt, livestock stolen and the entire community deserted.
Those confirmed killed during the attack, according to residents, include Kabiru Tanimu, Ayuba Hashim and Yakubu Mu’azu, while many others remain missing.
Recall that last Wednesday, terrorists attacked same community, killing eight residents, including three worshippers inside a mosque, highlighting the worsening insecurity in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state.
Consequently, Sabon Birni remains one of the worst-hit local government areas in Sokoto State and the wider North-West, where armed groups have continued to carry out deadly attacks, mass abductions and widespread displacement despite ongoing security operations.
Residents said the latest attack also triggered another tragedy when scores of villagers attempted to escape across a river after receiving information that the terrorists were approaching.
They said the overloaded boats capsized, with about 25 people, mostly women and children, swept away by the water.
While seven persons were said to have been rescued alive, 18 others are feared to have drowned, as families continued searching for their missing relatives.
One resident, who was preparing to flee from the village, said the attackers disclosed that they had abducted 37 people after relatives called the victims phones.
“When we called our relatives, the bandits answered the phones and told us they were the ones who abducted them. They said they had taken 37 people,” he said.
He explained that while some victims were seized inside the village, many others were captured in nearby farms where they had gone to sleep for fear of recurring attacks.
“Because of the frequent attacks, many people no longer sleep in the village. They spend the night in farms and bushes to avoid being attacked. This time, the terrorists searched through the farms, woke people up and took them away.”
“Most of those abducted were women and children. I personally saw three infants placed on the ground by the terrorists while they led their mothers away,’’ the resident said.
He lamented that despite informing security personnel about the invasion, no reinforcement arrived until the attackers completed their operation and left.
“We excused them during the previous attack because the terrorists had surrounded them and were firing at them. But this time, they were informed early enough, yet nobody came to rescue us,” he added.
Another resident who fled to Sokoto metropolis in the early hours of yesterday, said their village had been completely deserted, with people running for their lives.
“We fled to Sokoto because we have never experienced terror like what happened last Wednesday night. About 40 of us escaped here, and everyone is now staying with relatives,” he said.
A local vigilante member, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the terrorists first entered the village about 8p.m., moving from house to house, while forcing residents to identify wealthy households and locations where livestock were kept.
“Some people managed to escape and alerted us. We informed the security operatives stationed in our village and asked them to support us so we could confront the terrorists but they told us they did not have adequate equipment.
‘’We also contacted our traditional leader, but there was little he could do, apart from sympathising with us. When the gunfire intensified, we had no option but to hide,’’ the vigilante said.
According to him, the security personnel urgently require Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, to effectively respond to attacks across the difficult terrain.
He added that fewer than 20 residents now remain in the community after the attack, with over 100 vehicles transporting displaced villagers from yesterday evening to now.
“From yesterday until today, nobody has eaten because of the trauma and panic caused by the attack,” he said.
Residents also said the terrorists razed two houses belonging to Lawwali Ta’u Mai Chaji and Hassan Hasken Halara, a vigilante member.
“Our colleague was with us defending the village when his house was burnt. We only found ashes afterwards. We cannot even determine how many members of his family or livestock died in the fire because everything was reduced to ashes,” the vigilante said.
The attack has also forced residents from numerous surrounding communities, including Borai, Tsululu, Garin Tudu, Bukka Hamsin, Turkawa, Rumbukawa, Dutsin Na Umma, Zangon Mu’azu, Arawa, Kuru, Zangon Mallam, Mai Hurde, Zugun, Gidan Na Birni, Mashaya, Marina and several others, to flee.
The displaced residents appealed to the federal and Sokoto state governments to urgently deploy additional security personnel and provide APCs to enable security operatives reclaim the area and allow displaced families to return home safely.
The Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state, Ayuba Hashimu, confirmed the attack but could not independently verify the casualty figures.
“The incidents, indeed, happened but I was not there myself. Therefore, I have to verify the figures before I can confirm them,” he said.
The spokesperson of Sokoto State police command, Ahmad Rufai, also confirmed the attack, saying additional security personnel had been deployed to restore peace and prevent further attacks in the affected communities.
