Bandits abduct dep gov’s relatives, others in Sokoto

Suspected bandits have kidnapped eight persons, among them relatives of the Sokoto State Deputy Governor, after storming Garin Idi village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area in the early hours of Thursday.

Sources said the gunmen arrived on about eight motorcycles at around 1:00am, shooting indiscriminately and sending residents scrambling into nearby bushes. They held the village for nearly two hours, with no security personnel responding to the attack.

The assailants first herded approximately 30 residents — mostly women and children — into a group before selectively abducting eight of them, releasing the rest reportedly because their motorcycles could not accommodate more captives. Three of those taken were men and five were women.

The victims were named as Hassana Adare Maifata, Rabi Alhaji Ishaqa, Kwamuso Umar, Yar’aji Garba, Kabiru Alkasim, Sani Muazu, Jadi Alkasim — described as a patient — and a woman said to share the same father as the deputy governor through the late Aliyu. Sources indicated that the abducted persons were largely from the deputy governor’s family.

Beyond the abductions, the bandits also looted a phone charging point in the village, making away with over 100 mobile phones, power banks, and N40,000 in cash after the operator fled on their arrival.

Residents gave a grim account of the night’s events, with one saying the gunfire was unlike anything the community had previously experienced. Another voiced the frustration of a village that has grown wearily accustomed to attacks it cannot defend against. “Once they leave, we calm down, because we have become used to it. Still, there is no help,” the resident said.

Anger has also been directed at the deputy governor, with community members questioning why their proximity to him has yielded no tangible security dividend. “It is painful that we are being neglected despite being his relatives. He has not assisted us in this difficult situation,” one resident said, urging him to take urgent steps to address the worsening insecurity plaguing the area.

The Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufai, could not be reached for comment before this report was filed.