At least 18 residents of Tsamaye community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State are feared to have drowned after overloaded boats capsized as they desperately fled a deadly bandit attack that also left 37 people kidnapped and thousands displaced.
The attack, launched by heavily armed bandits on Monday night, lasted until the early hours of Tuesday, leaving a trail of death and destruction across the community.
Residents said panic erupted as families fled towards a nearby river after receiving reports that the gunmen were closing in. In the chaos, overloaded boats carrying terrified villagers — mostly women and children—capsized, throwing about 25 passengers into the water.
While seven people were rescued alive, at least 18 others remain missing and are feared dead as frantic search efforts continue.
The gunmen reportedly abducted 37 residents during the invasion, moving through homes, farms and bushes where many villagers had been sleeping to avoid recurring attacks.
“When we called our relatives, the bandits answered their phones and told us they had taken 37 people,” one resident said.
Witnesses said many of those abducted were women and children.
“I personally saw three infants placed on the ground while the bandits led their mothers away,” a survivor recalled.
Residents accused security agencies of failing to respond despite being alerted before the attackers overwhelmed the community.
“We informed them early enough, but nobody came to rescue us,” one resident lamented.
A local vigilante member said security operatives admitted they lacked the equipment needed to confront the attackers, insisting that Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were urgently required to tackle the worsening insecurity.
The bandits also razed two houses, stole livestock and forced thousands of residents to flee Tsamaye and neighbouring communities.
The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the invasion, saying additional security personnel had been deployed to restore order.
The latest attack comes barely days after another deadly assault on the same Tsamaye community in which eight residents, including three worshippers inside a mosque, were killed, highlighting the deepening insecurity in Sokoto’s Sabon Birni axis
