In a tragic incident on Sallah day, heavily armed gunmen attacked Tudun Doki village in Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, resulting in the deaths of six people and the abduction of numerous others.
The assailants, suspected to be terrorists, invaded the village around 1:30 am.
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Sokoto Police Command Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Rufa’i, confirmed the attack, stating that six bodies had been recovered, but the exact number of abducted individuals is still unknown.
Sokoto is among several northwestern and central Nigerian states plagued by armed gangs who engage in mass kidnappings for ransom, as well as burning and looting homes.
These gangs, operating from extensive forest camps spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, have also carried out large-scale abductions of schoolchildren in recent years.
Recent months have seen an escalation in attacks, particularly in Katsina and Zamfara states.
Last month, gangs raided four villages in Katsina’s Sabuwa district, killing 25 people, mostly local vigilantes, in apparent retaliation against military operations targeting their hideouts.
These bandits are primarily driven by financial gain and lack ideological motives.
However, analysts and officials have voiced concerns over their growing connections with jihadist groups involved in a 15-year insurgency in the northeast.
