Sokoto IDPs protest over killings, demand govt action
Displaced residents of Shagari Local Government Area in Sokoto State on Monday blocked the Shagari-Sokoto highway, demanding urgent government intervention over escalating insecurity. Hundreds of men and women gathered in Shagari town, the LGA headquarters, protesting repeated bandit attacks on their communities. A resident from Rinaye village said they were left with no option but […]
IDP camp in Sokoto
Displaced residents of Shagari Local Government Area in Sokoto State on Monday blocked the Shagari-Sokoto highway, demanding urgent government intervention over escalating insecurity.
Hundreds of men and women gathered in Shagari town, the LGA headquarters, protesting repeated bandit attacks on their communities.
A resident from Rinaye village said they were left with no option but to protest after bandits raided their villages for three consecutive days, killing three people and abducting their community leader and imam.
He added that other villages, including Aske Dodo, Tungar Barke, and Jandutse, also came under attack, where two more residents were killed and at least 15 kidnapped.
Many villages have since been deserted.
Malama Tunba, a mother of five from Jandutse, recounted losing contact with her children while fleeing. “We have nothing to eat and no security to protect us. We just want to go back home,” she said.
Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed the incidents.
They visited 30 shelters where displaced families are taking refuge and met with traditional rulers, including the District Head of Dundaji and the Head of Tungar Barke, who were also forced to flee their homes.
Other affected villages include Lungu, Tungar-Doruwa, Zango, Yan Yandu, Tungar Na’anza, and Ila.
NEMA and SEMA appealed to the government to urgently strengthen security and provide relief assistance to enable displaced residents to return to their communities.