Just In: Tears as Bandits Gun Down Worshippers Inside Sokoto Mosque
- Bandits attacked Tsamaye village in Sokoto state's Sabon Birni LGA on Tuesday night, July 28, spending over six hours terrorising residents
- Seven bodies were recovered Wednesday morning, July 29, after attackers spent the night raiding homes, looting shops, and rustling livestock
- At least three abductions were confirmed after relatives called victims' phones and the bandits answered, saying they had them in custody
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience covering security issues and counterinsurgency in Nigeria and across Africa.
Sokoto, Sokoto state - At least seven people were killed and several others abducted when gunmen stormed Tsamaye village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto state on Tuesday night, July 28, according to residents of the community.
As reported by Daily Trust, the attackers arrived in large numbers at around 8:30 pm and did not leave until about 3:00 am on Wednesday, July 29, staying for more than six hours. During that time, they moved through the village shooting, looting, rustling livestock, and seizing residents.
Source: Original
Sokoto bandits kill seven, burn shops
Villagers found the bodies of seven victims Wednesday morning after the bandits withdrew. An eyewitness, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three of those killed were found inside a mosque. He said all seven victims were displaced persons who had previously fled other communities in the area because of earlier bandit attacks, except two who were indigenes of Tsamaye itself.
The source said the attackers began by surrounding security operatives stationed in the village, pinning them down with gunfire to prevent them from responding to distress calls from residents.
"We were sitting after the Isha'i prayer when the bandits invaded our village. They first surrounded the security operatives stationed in the community and opened fire on them. They laid siege to their location, preventing them from coming out, while other members of the group moved from house to house, rustling livestock, looting valuables and abducting residents," he said.
Beyond the killings, the attackers broke into several shops, burnt two of them, set a vehicle on fire, and carted away an unspecified number of livestock before leaving the area.
Sokoto: Villagers flee as bandits strike
The exact number of people taken remained unclear on Wednesday, as many residents had fled into surrounding bushes during the chaos. However, at least three abductions were confirmed after relatives dialled the victims' phone numbers and the bandits themselves answered, confirming they were holding the individuals.
"We believe some people escaped because of the confusion. It is only later today that we may be able to ascertain the actual number of those abducted," the eyewitness said.
He said the security personnel stationed in the village had previously helped protect both Tsamaye and neighbouring communities, but were caught off guard by the scale and coordination of Tuesday's attack.
Source: Facebook
Police awaiting full details
The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmad Rufai, confirmed the force was aware of the incident but had not yet received a full situation report.
"We are aware of the incident, but we are yet to get full details as we await it," he said.
Sabon Birni LGA has experienced repeated bandit activity in recent months, with thousands of residents from surrounding villages forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in larger communities like Tsamaye.
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Terrorists kidnap, kill 106 health workers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and jihadist fighters abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report.
The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system and covers incidents across the three-year window.
Source: Legit.ng
