From Dispatch Room
Suspected bandits have reportedly abducted more than 20 traders, farmers and travellers along a major route leading to the popular Sabon Birni weekly market in Sokoto State.
The attack was said to have occurred on Wednesday morning around Mangwaron Bullun, a strategic junction linking Sabon Birni with several surrounding communities. Residents said the gunmen blocked the route before opening fire and seizing people who were travelling to the market or working on nearby farms.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the attackers arrived on several motorcycles at about 10 a.m. and advanced from different directions. The assault caused panic among commuters, traders and farmers, many of whom fled into nearby areas for safety.
A resident who spoke anonymously for security reasons said the bandits forced some victims onto motorcycles while others were tied together and marched into the bush on foot.
“They came from different directions and started shooting. People heading to the market ran in different directions, but many were captured, including women working on nearby farms,” the witness said.
Another local source said the attackers did not enter Sabon Birni town itself but operated around Mangwaron Bullun, a junction serving communities such as Katsira, Zakin Ganga, Maskin Wuya, Garin Dango, Garin Gardi, Garin Bage and Zududu.
The exact number of abducted persons remained unclear as of press time. While residents estimated that more than 20 people were taken, they also warned that the figure could rise because some families were still searching for relatives who had not returned from the market route.
One resident identified simply as Abdurrashid said his mother was among those abducted while working on a farm. He said the incident had thrown his family into distress because his sick father depended on her for support.
“My mother was working on the farm when they took her. My father is sick, and she is the one supporting the family. I have had to move my younger siblings to our grandparents’ house,” he said.
The reported attack comes amid renewed concerns over insecurity in parts of eastern Sokoto, where rural communities have repeatedly suffered raids, kidnappings and attacks on farming and trading routes.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official police confirmation of the incident. Reports said efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmad Rufai, were unsuccessful.
The member representing Sabon Birni Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Aminu Boza, was also said to have promised to verify the incident but had not provided further details.
The latest incident has again raised fears among residents who depend on weekly markets and farmlands for survival, especially in communities where insecurity has disrupted movement, farming and local trade.
— Newspot Nigeria
