Nigeria: 16 Feared Killed in Weekend Attacks On Sokoto Communities

What the report says

Premium Times, as distributed by AllAfrica, reported that at least 16 people were feared killed in a series of weekend attacks on communities in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria. The incidents took place between Friday evening and early Sunday in Sabon Birni and Rabah local government areas, with reports pointing to violence in Lajinge, Maikujera and Gandi. The newspaper said at least three others were injured, an unspecified number of residents were abducted, and several families were forced from their homes.

According to the report, the deadliest attack was in Lajinge, where armed men allegedly spent several hours in the community, opening fire, looting property and setting fire to a room where some people were hiding. Premium Times said Daily Trust reported 12 deaths there, while four more people were said to have been killed in Maikujera and Gandi. The attacks were also said to have involved livestock rustling and the theft of fuel, cash, mobile phones and other goods.

Residents quoted by the newspaper said the raids stretched over hours and that calls for help were not immediately answered by security forces in the area. The account also described repeated earlier attacks in the same communities, which residents said had driven some families to leave and prompted calls for stronger security deployments. Premium Times noted it had not independently verified the casualty figures or other details. The reporting highlights the continuing insecurity affecting rural communities in parts of northern Nigeria, where armed bandit attacks, cattle rustling and kidnappings have remained a major concern.