Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Today, Friday, June 12, 2026, Stone Reporters got a report that gunmen believed to be bandits blocked a major road leading to Sabon Birni Market in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State and abducted scores of traders, farmers and travellers, forcing victims onto motorcycles and marching others on foot into the bush. The attack occurred at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, as people were heading to the weekly market, a primary commercial hub for the district. The assailants arrived on nearly 20 motorcycles, shot indiscriminately to create panic and seized an estimated 20 persons, though residents feared the final count might be higher as families continued to search for missing relatives.
An eyewitness who requested anonymity said he was sitting near a bridge when the gunmen appeared, opening fire from different directions before rounding up their victims. “We were sitting near the bridge when we saw them approaching on motorcycles. They started shooting from different directions and abducted travellers, farmers and some women working on nearby farms,” he told Daily Trust. “Some of the victims were forced onto motorcycles and taken into the forest. When the motorcycles became full, the bandits tied some victims together in pairs and marched them into the bush on foot. Men were tied to men using their clothes, while women were tied together with their hijabs. Gunshots were everywhere,” he said. The attackers did not enter Sabon Birni town itself but operated around a junction known as Mangwaron Bullun, which connects several communities including Katsira, Zakin Ganga, Maskin Wuya, Garin Dango, Garin Gardi, Garin Bage and Zududu.
Among those abducted was the mother of a young man identified only as Abdurrashid. He told reporters that his mother was working on a farm when the gunmen took her. “Because my father is sick, she is the one taking care of us. I have now taken my younger siblings to stay with our grandparents,” he said. Another resident explained that the exact number of victims remained unclear because many families were still trying to account for their relatives. “Some people may only be discovered missing after the closing of the market, when they fail to return home. Since Wednesday is the day of the Sabon Birni market, many of those abducted were traders heading there for business,” he said.
The member representing Sabon Birni Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Aminu Boza, said he would verify the incident but had not provided further details at the time of filing this report despite repeated follow‑up calls. Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, were unsuccessful as calls to his phone went unanswered.
The attack is the latest in a wave of insecurity troubling communities across Sokoto State, where residents have continued to report mass abductions, killings and injuries in recent weeks. On June 1, bandits stormed Dangulbi community in Tureta LGA, killing 17 persons, including seven visitors who had travelled for the Eid‑el‑Kabri celebrations. On June 4, another attack in the same community claimed at least 20 lives. In a separate incident on June 8, troops of the 8 Division Nigerian Army repelled a bandit attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Tidibale village, Isa LGA, and rescued two kidnapped farmers.
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