Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
In a violent overnight raid, gunmen believed to be loyal to notorious bandit leader Bello Turji attacked Lugu village in Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing and injuring several residents and abducting at least 15 people, including men and women, security sources and residents report.
The armed assault unfolded late on Thursday night, January 15, 2026, when the bandits entered the largely agrarian community without warning. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the attackers fired sporadically and overwhelmed local vigilante watches, forcing terrified villagers to flee into surrounding bushland. Confirming the incident, community sources and security alerts say the gunmen took scores of villagers hostage before withdrawing into forested areas.
The incident is the latest in a series of coordinated assaults attributed to Turji’s faction, which has intensified operations across eastern parts of Sokoto State’s rural districts. In neighbouring communities such as Gajit in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, similar raids resulted in injuries and the kidnapping of more than 20 residents just days earlier.
Although precise casualty figures from the Lugu attack are still being compiled, locals fear that deaths and abductions will rise as families account for their missing relatives and security teams access the area. Some of those abducted are believed to include women and older residents who were trapped during the chaos. Local leaders and traditional authorities have called on security forces to mount immediate rescue and response operations.
Bello Turji, who has long been identified as a key orchestrator of banditry and terror in northwest Nigeria, has repeatedly targeted farming communities and villagers in Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina States. Past attacks in the Isa district, particularly around Lugu town, have seen dozens of civilians killed in previous raids, and agricultural livelihoods severely disrupted.
Security analysts say the latest assault underscores the fragility of rural security in the region, where bandit networks exploit remote terrain and limited government presence to strike with impunity. Despite ongoing military and police operations under national counter‑terrorism frameworks, communities near the border with Zamfara State have remained vulnerable, as bandit groups continue to evade sustained security pressure.
Residents from Lugu and surrounding settlement areas, many of whom now fear further attacks, have reiterated demands for reinforced patrols, better intelligence deployment and proactive protection measures. They warn that without a significant escalation in security presence and targeted operations against Turji’s fighters, this pattern of violence is likely to recur.
Authorities in Sokoto and federal security agencies have yet to release an official public statement on the Lugu incident at the time of reporting. The State Police Command and Defence Headquarters are expected to provide updates after verification and field assessments are concluded.
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