In a heartbreaking development, bandits have once again attacked villages in the Gobir Emirate of Sokoto State, kidnapping over 150 people and rustling more than 1,000 cattle. This latest raid occurred only a few days after the tragic death of the Emir of Gobir, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa, who had been abducted by the same group of criminals.
The Emir, who also served as the District Head of Gatawa, was taken on July 29, along with his son and six others while traveling on the Sokoto-Sabon Birni Road. A video surfaced showing the Emir pleading for his life, but after a deadline for ransom payment passed, he was tragically killed by his captors.
Following his death, angry protests erupted in the area, leading the state government to impose a curfew on Sabon Birni. Despite this unrest, the bandits returned, launching another devastating attack on the same community.
The mass abductions and cattle thefts have left residents of Gobir Emirate in shock and fear as they face continued threats from bandit groups. Professor Bello Bada, from Usmanu Danfodio University, confirmed the kidnappings, adding to the growing concern over the security situation in Sokoto State.
Professor Bello Bada said,
“The most painful thing about it is that some important people in the area could access the telephone numbers of the bandits and could even have conversations with them. Why? It means the bandits are known.
“People in the area go for negotiation with bandits; it means they know where they are. Why do bandits go to markets freely and sell their cows in the area ?
“Why is it that in the area about 1,000 cows were carted away by bandits? Do the cows have wings to fly? What about our intelligence? How did the bandits pass through villages and towns without being noticed?
“They are taking the rustled cattle into the bush while at the same time, residents of some communities within the district are inside the same bush mining for gold. No, something is wrong. We should tell ourselves the truth. We have to sit down and address this problem for the future of our children.”
“A day after the death of Sarkin Gobir, the bandits attacked Tsamaye village again, killing some people and abducting unspecified others.
“So, a total of 192 people have been abducted and they are still in captivity.
“Besides the abduction of people, we have lost over 20,000 hectares of land to the bandits. They stopped our people from cultivating the land for several years now. Over 92 per cent of our wealth has been wasted by these bandits,”
The community now mourns both the loss of their Emir and the abduction of their fellow villagers as they seek justice and a resolution to the ongoing violence in the region.
