In a distressing turn of events, an unspecified number of Tsangaya students were abducted from their school in Gidan Bakuso, within the Gada local government area of Sokoto state. The incident occurred around 1:00 am on Saturday, casting a shadow over the community already grappling with security challenges.
Liman Abubakar, the proprietor of the school, disclosed to our reporter that while 15 students are currently unaccounted for, the search continues for potentially more missing students. The bandits’ raid on the town not only targeted the school but also resulted in one person shot and a woman kidnapped. “As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them,” Abubakar explained, highlighting the chaos that enveloped the area during the attack.
This is not the first instance of violence in the village, as Abubakar noted, indicating a troubling pattern of attacks by bandits in the region. The state House of Assembly member representing Gada-East Constituency, Kabiru Dauda, confirmed the incident, stating that he was informed of the invasion around 2:00 am and had since contacted local government authorities and security agencies for action.
Further compounding the security situation in Sokoto state, another attack was reported in Turba village, Isa Local Government Area, where bandits killed three individuals, including the village head. Habibu Modachi, representing Isa Constituency, suggested that the violence might have been a retaliatory act following a recent raid on bandits’ hideouts by security operatives.
The Sokoto State Police Command’s spokesman, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, expressed unawareness of the incidents but promised to seek information from the Divisional Police Officer of the affected local government areas.
These attacks come at a critical time as Sokoto state celebrates the graduation of its Community Guards Corps, an initiative launched by the state government to combat banditry. The abduction of the Tsangaya students and the assaults on Gidan Bakuso and Turba village underscore the ongoing security challenges facing the state, despite efforts to curb the menace of banditry.