Bandits kill three, abduct residents in Sokoto

No fewer than three people have been killed by bandits, who also abducted an unspecified number of residents and rustled livestock during an attack on the Yartsakuwa community in the Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday, according to the Sokoto State Police Command.

Confirming the incident, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Rufai, told our correspondent in a WhatsApp conversation that three people were killed, while some residents were abducted,  and livestock were rustled.

“Yes, three killed and also some persons kidnapped and animals rustled,” Rufai said.

A security source also confirmed that the attackers invaded the community, shot three people dead and whisked away an undisclosed number of residents.

The source said several livestock were also taken away by the assailants during the attack.

Meanwhile, a survivor, Najeeb Yartsakuwa, had earlier raised the alarm over the incident in a Facebook post, alleging that four people, comprising three men and a woman, were killed.

He also disclosed that the attackers invaded their family house and abducted his biological sister and four sisters-in-law, alongside other women from the community.

The survivor, however, said the exact number of abducted persons was yet to be established.

He expressed grief over the attack and appealed for prayers for the safe return of those abducted, while praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased and quick recovery for the injured.

The police confirmation put the death toll at three, against the four deaths reported by the survivor.

The attack adds to growing security concerns in parts of Sokoto, where armed groups have continued to threaten rural communities through killings, abductions and livestock rustling.

In September 2026, The PUNCH reported that troops of Operation Fansan Yamma recovered a large herd of rustled cattle after intercepting suspected terrorists fleeing Asarara Kaura community in the Kebbe LGA of the state.

The troops reportedly acted on credible intelligence and caught up with the fleeing terrorists along the Tambuwal–Gadaichi–Gummi axis.

During the encounter, the terrorists engaged the troops in a gun battle before retreating into the surrounding bushes with gunshot wounds, abandoning the cattle.