Residents of several communities in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State are living in fear following a surge in deadly bandit attacks that have left many dead, dozens abducted, and entire towns deserted.
Community leaders, led by Alhaji Adamu Haruna from Kebbe town, sounded the alarm at a press conference on Saturday, describing the situation as “dire and unbearable.”
> “Our lives are in danger. They’ve taken our property, our livestock, and now they’ve started abducting people,” Haruna lamented. “We can’t go to our farms anymore. People are getting desperate.”
Haruna warned that continued government inaction could push residents to resort to self-help. He noted that the attacks have grown increasingly coordinated, spreading across multiple villages.
According to eyewitnesses, a man was killed in Dukura for resisting abduction, while in Dalijan, bandits made away with herds of cattle and later struck at a local watering point. The attackers reportedly moved through Ingushi, Gwalli, and other nearby communities, leaving destruction in their trail before security forces could intervene.
> “These criminals are threatening to stop us from harvesting our crops,” Haruna said. “There’s another gang known as Lakurawa — everyone fears them. Their grip on the region is tightening.”
In Fakku, resident Tukur Muhammadu said the town, once peaceful, is now in ruins after bandits stormed in, killing several and abducting over 30 people.
> “They’ve scattered our communities and are demanding ransoms running into tens of millions of naira,” Muhammadu said. “Seventeen towns in the Fakku axis are now deserted. We’ve appealed to the government, but there’s been no response.”
Farmers in Kucchi and neighboring villages say they are too afraid to return to their farmlands despite the ongoing harvest season. Shops have been looted, and several traders remain in captivity.
So far, at least ten people have been confirmed dead, and over 500 livestock rustled in the wave of attacks.
With entire communities displaced and livelihoods destroyed, the residents are making a desperate plea to authorities.
> “If the government cannot provide us with food or money,” Muhammadu said, “the least we ask for is security.”
