Subscribe: Gist E-Paper
Residents of Bodinga Local Government Area on Friday staged a mass protest over renewed bandit attacks that reportedly killed several people, displaced dozens of villagers and forced many others to flee their homes.
The demonstrators blocked the Sokoto–Jega–Yauri highway, a major route linking Sokoto State with Kebbi State and Niger State, demanding urgent government action to curb the worsening insecurity.
The protest disrupted traffic for several hours as angry residents set tyres and logs ablaze on sections of the road. Witnesses said some vehicles, including a bus belonging to the Kebbi State Transport Authority, were vandalised before security operatives restored order.
Residents said the protest followed coordinated attacks allegedly carried out by armed bandits on several communities in Bodinga LGA on Thursday, leaving deaths, abductions and widespread displacement in their wake.
One resident, who spoke anonymously, said the demonstration was intended to draw national attention to the deteriorating security situation, adding that many families had been forced to seek refuge in schools and other public facilities.
Displaced residents from Qyaula village recounted how heavily armed attackers stormed the community, firing indiscriminately and forcing people to flee for safety. They said some residents were killed while others were abducted during the assault.
Communities including Qyaula, Keloji, Chohi Takule, Kulodo and Kwamtsi were identified as among the worst affected.
Local sources said the attackers invaded the villages around 2 p.m. on Thursday and operated for several hours into the early hours of Friday, leaving many residents unaccounted for and several communities devastated.
The latest attacks highlight the persistent security crisis in parts of Sokoto and the wider North-West, where communities continue to face recurring incidents of banditry, kidnapping, killings and displacement despite ongoing military and police operations.
Following the attacks, a delegation of government officials and security chiefs visited the affected communities to assess the damage and sympathise with victims.
The delegation included the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Tukur Bala Bodinga; the lawmaker representing Bodinga, Dange-Shuni and Tureta Federal Constituency, Nasiru Shehu Bobo; the Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa; local government officials, traditional rulers and security commanders.
Addressing residents, Bobo described the attacks as tragic and unacceptable, assuring them that additional security personnel had been deployed to restore peace and safeguard lives and property.
The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the attacks. Police spokesperson Ahmad Rufai said security operatives carried out intensive operations in the area from Thursday afternoon until about 3 a.m. on Friday, adding that reinforcements had been deployed to reopen the highway and restore normalcy.
