Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
SOKOTO, Nigeria — Notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji and his fighters unleashed a night of terror on two communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, killing a 10-year-old child, abducting nearly 50 residents across two villages, and leaving the road to the local hospital rigged with explosives, according to multiple community sources.
The attacks, which occurred late Wednesday night, began in Tarah community, where Turji's men spent about an hour exchanging gunfire with local vigilantes before overrunning the village and abducting an unspecified number of residents, including women and children. Community members reported that 10 people managed to escape early Thursday morning.
The bandits then moved to Takatsaba community, also in Sabon Birni LGA, where they abducted 37 people and killed a 10-year-old child. Several others sustained injuries during the raid. The evacuation of the wounded was reportedly delayed due to fears that the road leading to the General Hospital in Sabon Birni may have been rigged with explosives by the attackers.
The attacks come barely a week after Turji claimed responsibility for recent attacks on security operatives in parts of Sokoto and Zamfara states, while also expressing willingness to engage in dialogue with the government. Residents of Sabon Birni and surrounding communities have long suffered under the weight of recurring bandit attacks, which have continued to threaten lives and disrupt economic activities.
Just days earlier, on June 29, a passenger vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by suspected bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road, killing one person and injuring several others. The attack heightened fears among residents, many of whom have been displaced by repeated attacks and threats by armed groups operating along the Sokoto-Zamfara border corridor.
Sabon Birni and neighbouring local government areas have remained among the worst affected by attacks linked to armed groups operating along the Sokoto-Zamfara border. Turji, one of the most wanted bandit leaders in the North-West, has been linked to numerous attacks, killings and kidnappings across Sokoto, Zamfara and neighbouring states.
The bandits' tactics have grown increasingly ruthless. In a similar attack on June 17, suspected bandits killed two persons and abducted 17 others, including three orphaned children, married women, and other locals in separate attacks in Sabon Birni and Wurno local government areas. In Tarah village specifically, the wife of Lauwali Tarno was among those abducted.
Security forces have responded with operations, but the attacks have persisted. Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma had repelled a bandit attack in Takatsaba just days earlier, on June 25, neutralising several terrorists in the process. However, the latest assault suggests that the bandits have regrouped and continue to pose a significant threat to the region.
Residents of Sabon Birni have repeatedly called on the federal and state governments to deploy more security personnel to the area, describing the region as increasingly vulnerable to criminal attacks. The road to the General Hospital in Sabon Birni, which is now feared to be rigged with explosives, highlights the growing desperation of the bandits, who are now targeting not just lives but also the lifelines of the communities they terrorise.
As the search for the abducted victims continues, the people of Sabon Birni are left to grapple with the aftermath of another devastating night of violence, hoping that the government will finally take decisive action to end the cycle of terror that has held their communities hostage for far too long.
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