Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Troops of the 28 Special Forces Brigade have repelled a large-scale terrorist assault on a military barracks and two communities in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The coordinated attack, which occurred on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at about 9:20 a.m., resulted in the death of one soldier and several terrorists, according to security sources.
The terrorists launched a simultaneous offensive targeting the Sifawa Barracks, as well as the Badau and Danchadi communities. Troops from Forward Operating Base Sifawa, alongside personnel from FOB Shagari, the 8 Division Strike Team, and the Mobile Strike Team, responded to intelligence about the terrorists' movement around Dandin Mahe and Danchadi villages.
The troops engaged the attackers in a fierce firefight, forcing them to withdraw. However, one soldier was killed in action during the encounter. His remains were evacuated to the morgue of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. Military equipment sustained damage, including two tyres of an Armoured Personnel Carrier and the fuel tank and side mirrors of a Buffalo General Transport vehicle.
A resident told Daily Trust that the attackers came from Horo village in neighbouring Shagari LGA and attempted to overrun the military barracks. The fighting lasted for hours before the military overpowered the assailants. Two soldiers were injured during the exchange and evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
A security source said the barracks was the primary target of the attackers. Following the ground engagement, military air operations were launched in the surrounding bushes where the fleeing terrorists were believed to have taken refuge. "Air strikes are currently ongoing in the bushes where the bandits fled. I am sure several of them have been killed," a security source told Daily Trust.
The attack disrupted movement along the Sifawa–Birnin Kebbi road, leaving motorists stranded for several hours as security forces responded. A motorist told Daily Trust that travellers were forced to abandon their journey after the road was temporarily blocked. "We were stranded at Yabo Junction for hours as the road leading to Kebbi was blocked. We were scared because of the sounds of gunshots that rented the air, so we had to change our route," he said.
Sifawa, located about 20 kilometres from Sokoto, the state capital, is a major community in Bodinga LGA and serves as a gateway to several farming settlements. It is the hometown of former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya (rtd.) and the Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, Barrister Bello Sifawa. Dr Abubakar Boyi, President of the Sifawa Development Forum, said the attackers may have been targeting livestock moved into the town by residents displaced by banditry in Shagari Local Government Area.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the military, police or Sokoto State Government on the incident or the reported casualties. The spokesman of the 8 Division, Lt Col. Olaniyi Osoba, said the Defence Headquarters would release a statement later. The Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ahmed Rufa'i, confirmed the development and said operatives had been deployed to maintain peace and order.
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