Sabon Birni residents flee as bandits lay siege in Sokoto

Published:

By Salim Yunusa

 

There has been mass exodus of people from communities in Sabon Birni, such as Gatawa towns in Sokoto state over the escalating attacks by rampaging bandits, including one on a military base at Burkusuma where at least 15 personnel were killed, and many others injured last weekend.

 

Some bandits from Zamfara State said they are moving to Sabon Birni area of Sokoto State in expectation of arrival of troops from Niger Republic who “are coming to assist Nigeria” in tackling the marauding armed men.

 

A leader of the bandits said gunmen had set up presence in the villages of Ballazu and Gangara, in the area.

 

Sabon Birni Local Government Area borders Niger Republic with many of the villages under it close to the border line.

 

Sources confirmed to Daily Trust at the time, that the attack was carried out by gunmen from the gangs of notorious bandits’ leader, Turji, with others loyal to Halilu Sububu. The two bandits’ kingpins operate around Zurmi and Shinkafi, two local governments bordering Sabon Birni.

 

The Defence Headquarters in a statement on Monday confirmed the attack but attributed it to forces from the jihadist’s Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).

 

Speaking to Daily Trust, one of the arrowheads of the bandits, Shehu Rekeb, claimed responsibility for the last weekend’s attack on the Nigerian security forces.

 

Rekeb said some security personnel kidnapped by the attackers were being held by the bandits.

 

He said Turji led his men to launch the attack in order to take position around the border town to avert any incursion by the Nigerien troops who, he said, were preparing to move in to support the push against the bandits operating in the area.

 

“It is said Niger is coming through there to support Nigeria; that is why we said the boys should go there to monitor,” he said.

 

He asked Nigerien President Mahamed Bazoum to stay out of what he described as a “family affair” and Nigeria’s internal affairs, warning that the bandits would begin to launch attacks on the Nigerien side.

 

On the claim that ISWAP was responsible for the attack, Rekeb said: “They know the attack was done by Fulani boys. They know them all. Many of their men were taken away; if they call them, they know who answers them.

 

Meanwhile, bandits had attacked Gangara and Gatawa all in Sabon Birni local government where residents said over twenty persons were killed and 27 persons were kidnapped. Pictures have emerged from Gatawa, a town in Sokoto state, looking deserted after bandits kidnapped many people last week.

 

The bandits had attacked Gangara and Gatawa all in Sabon Birni local government where residents said over twenty persons were killed and 27 persons were kidnapped.

 

Maryam Gatawa, a popular social media influencer, posted on Wednesday night, that “Last night, Gatawa was raided by bandits. They kidnapped many people. We woke up to this devastating news. And because the network was cut off, the bandits were said to have operated from 8 in the night to 4’o’clock in the morning. Many amongst my cousins and distant relatives were kidnapped. The count is still on.”

 

On Friday night, she gave an update on the abductions, saying that “the bandits released two women to convey the ransom that should be paid. Many residents of the town have left after the mass abductions of people and livestock”

 

The bandits have allegedly written a letter to a monarch in Burkusuma demanding for ransom to secure the release of 20 persons kidnapped from two communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area. The letter was allegedly written in the Hausa language by one of the victims kidnapped by the bandits and addressed to Sarkin Rafin Burkusuma, the district head of the area.

 

The bandits informed the monarch that the victims kidnapped from Gatawa and Burkusuma are all in good health and “doing great.”

 

They thereafter demanded the sum of N20 million to be paid for the release of the kidnap victims.

 

The kidnapped victims, whose names were all written in the letter, consist of nine males, eight females and two children.

Related articles

Recent articles

spot_img