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NIGERIA · SECURITY

Armed men raided a village in Sokoto State’s Rabah district in the early hours of Monday, killing residents and marching dozens away in one of the deadliest attacks reported in Nigeria’s northwest this month. The death toll is disputed — between seven and 10 people — and many of those abducted are still missing.

A market street in Sokoto, capital of Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria. The attacked community, Tofa, lies in Rabah district, northeast of the city. (Photo: Jensbn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What happened in Tofa

The gunmen entered Tofa, a farming community in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State, late on Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday, depending on the account. A security source quoted by Daily Trust said the attack began around 1 a.m. on Monday, that the assailants arrived in large numbers firing sporadically, and that they operated for about four hours before leaving with abducted residents and rustled livestock.

Residents quoted by Punch said the attackers shot residents, looted property and drove away animals. The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the attack through its spokesman, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufai, who said the command was still compiling its report and would release details afterwards. The exact number of people killed and abducted could not be independently verified at the time of publication.

“Bandits” is the term used in Nigeria for the armed gangs that raid villages, steal cattle and kidnap for ransom across the northwest of the country. They operate from forest camps and have made large parts of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states dangerous for farming communities.

Why the numbers differ

Punch reported on Monday that at least 10 people were killed and between 38 and 40 residents abducted, citing local sources, and said the figures were still being verified. Daily Trust, citing a security source, reported that seven people were killed, including two women, and published the names of the dead. The same report named 12 residents said to be in captivity and said the gunmen had released 10 other captives on their way back to their hideout.

Premium Times, reviewing the early reporting on Tuesday, noted accounts that as many as 35 residents were initially taken, some of whom later returned. Such discrepancies are common in the hours after attacks on remote communities, where communications are poor and officials compile figures slowly. Until the police publish their report, the careful summary is this: at least seven people, and possibly 10 or more, were killed; dozens were abducted; some have since been released or returned; and an unknown number remain in the hands of the attackers.

Daily Trust also reported that the gunmen abducted two other people in separate incidents nearby, including a farmer seized while working on his fields in the neighbouring village of Saburu.

A district under attack all summer

The Tofa raid is the latest in a series of attacks and security operations in Rabah documented since June. On 16 June, four farmers were killed and at least 12 others abducted while working on farmland around the district of Ghandi. In late July, police and soldiers confronted armed men in Maikujera, another Rabah community near the boundary with Zamfara State; police said 32 abducted people were rescued in that operation.

During the first weekend of August, at least 16 people were feared killed in attacks in Rabah and the neighbouring Sabon Birni local government area. On 30 August, troops of the army’s Operation Fansan Yamma said they intercepted armed men advancing towards Ghandi, recovered a rifle and ammunition, and forced the group to retreat. The same day, suspected bandits attacked farmers in Ghandi itself; police confirmed eight people killed and five injured.

There is no evidence that the armed men intercepted by troops near Ghandi were the same group that attacked Tofa about a week later. Elsewhere in Sokoto State, police confirmed on 4 September that five people were killed and three injured in attacks on communities in Kebbe local government area, after residents reported that gunmen had demanded a levy from the town and threatened to attack if it was not paid.

The political response

Manir Dan’iya, a former deputy governor of Sokoto State who is running for governor in 2027 on the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), an opposition party, condemned the attack in a statement issued by his media aide on Tuesday. He described the killings and mass abductions in Rabah as evidence of the failure of government to protect residents.

“How many more people must be killed or abducted before the APC governments admit that Sokoto has a serious security emergency?” he asked, referring to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that governs both Sokoto State and Nigeria at the federal level. “The people of Rabah do not need another press statement. They need security personnel, intelligence, rapid response and the confidence to sleep in their homes without fearing that armed men will arrive in the night.”

The Sokoto State government has announced measures to strengthen security, including the procurement of motorcycles for security agencies. Dan’iya said such interventions must produce tangible results, and called on the federal and state governments to rescue the abducted residents, arrest the perpetrators and maintain a sustained security presence in vulnerable communities.

What happens next

The immediate question is the police report, which should establish an official count of the dead and abducted in Tofa. The longer question is whether the security presence in Rabah changes in any lasting way. The pattern of the past three months — attack, rescue operation, official assurance, new attack — is exactly what residents and opposition figures say must be broken.

For the families of those still held in Tofa, the wait has already begun. Ransom negotiations in such cases are typically conducted privately, and the police rarely comment on them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Punch — Bandits kill 10, abduct dozens in Sokoto raid
• Premium Times — Bandits attack Sokoto community days after troops foiled advance
• Daily Trust — Bandits invade Sokoto community, kill seven, abduct 12
• Punch — ADC gov candidate calls for action against Sokoto killings, abductions
• Daily Post — Sokoto killings, abductions: ADC candidate calls for stronger action

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error