Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The attackers came in the dead of night, moving through the bush with the confidence of men who knew no one would stop them. By the time the sun rose over Lofa community in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State, more than 100 cows had been driven away, dozens of mobile phones had been snatched from homes, and residents were fleeing for their lives. The operation, according to local sources, was carried out in the early hours of the morning, with the rustled livestock moved through Walkabara at around 3:00 a.m. before the bandits disappeared into the forest.
The attack on Lofa was not an isolated incident. It was part of a coordinated assault on four communities in Tureta Local Government Area—Doma, Gidan Tudu, Tsamiya, and Lofa—that left at least four people dead and more than 1,000 livestock stolen. The bandits moved from one village to another, killing residents, looting shops, and carting away animals in an operation that lasted for hours. In Doma, they killed Sani Dankabu and Hantsi, the son of Yanroma. In Gidan Tudu, they killed Danma and Abu. In Lofa, they took over 100 cows and 50 phones. In Tsamiya, they broke into shops and invaded homes in search of food.
The human cost of the attack extends far beyond the livestock. Residents who survived the assault have fled their homes and are now taking refuge at Danmatsani Model Primary School in Shuni, located in Denge Shuni Local Government Area. Displaced villagers, many of whom have lost everything they owned, are struggling to access basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. Jamila Umar, a resident of Doma village, described the attack as traumatic, recounting how the assailants moved from one community to another, killing people and stealing animals. Lubabatu, a displaced resident from Lofa, told reporters that the terrorists had carted away with over 100 cows and 50 phones from her village.
The attack on Lofa is part of a broader and increasingly deadly pattern of violence in Sokoto State, where bandit groups have escalated their operations in recent months. In September alone, bandits killed at least 20 villagers and razed the Dangulbi community in Tureta Local Government Area. They attacked Tofa community in Rabah Local Government Area, killing at least 10 people and abducting more than 40 others. They stormed Gidan Kare village, also in Tureta, killing an Islamic teacher and abducting 10 residents. In August, they attacked Ungushi community in Kebbe Local Government Area, killing at least 32 people. In July, they killed 24 farmers and wounded several others in an attack on a village in the state. The frequency and ferocity of these attacks have created a climate of perpetual fear, forcing hundreds of families to abandon their homes and farms.
The consequences for rural livelihoods are devastating. Farming and livestock rearing are the economic backbone of communities in Tureta and the wider Sokoto North area. When bandits rustle hundreds of cows and force residents to flee their farmlands, they are not just stealing property; they are destroying the very means by which families feed themselves and earn a living. The loss of over 1,000 livestock in a single coordinated attack represents an economic blow that will take years to recover from, if it is ever recovered at all. For many families, their cattle are their savings account, their insurance policy, and their children's inheritance. When those animals are taken, the future is taken with them.
The pattern of attacks in Tureta and other parts of Sokoto State suggests a level of organisation and impunity that is deeply troubling. The bandits operate with a freedom of movement that speaks to a collapse of the security architecture in rural areas. They move in large numbers, they know the terrain, and they know that the nearest security outpost is often hours away. The police and military have recorded some successes, including the recent killing of several bandits and the recovery of motorcycles in Tureta. The military has also foiled cattle rustling operations and recovered hundreds of cattle in other parts of the North-West. But these operations, however successful in isolation, are not sufficient to stem the tide. The bandits adapt, they regroup, and they strike again.
The people of Lofa, like countless other communities across Nigeria's North-West, are not asking for much. They are asking for the basic right to live without fear, to farm their land without being shot at, to raise their livestock without having them stolen in the night. They are asking for a government that treats their lives as valuable and their livelihoods as worth protecting. They are asking for security forces that can respond before the bandits have disappeared into the bush. They are asking for a sustainable solution, not just condolences and statements of concern after the fact.
As the displaced residents of Lofa and the other affected communities wait for help that may never come, the question on everyone's lips is one that has been asked far too many times before: how many more communities must suffer before a sustainable solution is found to protect innocent citizens and their means of survival? The answer, for now, remains elusive. The bandits will continue to raid villages, rustle livestock, and snatch residents from their homes. And the people of Sokoto State will continue to bury their dead, count their losses, and wonder when the government will finally do what it takes to end this nightmare.
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