SEVERAL internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had recently returned to their communities have been abducted by suspected bandits following fresh attacks on Gasalodi and Tungar Barke villages in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
News Point Nigeria reports that the attack occurred around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, barely a day after the displaced residents returned to their homes from Jabo town, where they had taken refuge for several weeks following earlier attacks.
Sources said the attackers stormed the communities, abducted an unspecified number of residents and rustled several livestock before fleeing the area.
A resident of Jabo, who confirmed the incident, said the affected villagers had only returned home a day earlier after spending weeks away from their communities due to insecurity.
“They returned yesterday, but unfortunately some of them were abducted this morning. The bandits also carted away their livestock,” the source said.
The resident added that the attackers had earlier warned the villagers against returning to their communities, threatening to come back if they attempted to resettle.
“They warned the residents that they would come back once they returned, and that is exactly what happened,” he said.
Another resident estimated that about 20 people were abducted during the attack.
“I was on my farm when I saw villagers running back to Jabo to escape the attack,” he said.
A visit by our correspondent to Jabo revealed the extent of the renewed crisis, as many displaced residents were seen seeking shelter in public schools, while others gathered along major roads after fleeing their communities.
One of the displaced women, Yarmagaji, a widow and mother of five from Tungar Barke, said she had been staying in a school facility for more than a month after being forced from her home.
“I have five children, all orphans. Since we arrived here about a month ago, I have been begging to feed them because I have no other means of survival,” she said.
She appealed to the Tambuwal Local Government Council and other relevant authorities to provide relief materials and support for displaced families struggling to survive.
Meanwhile, at the General Hospital in Jabo, victims receiving treatment for injuries sustained in previous bandit attacks expressed frustration over what they described as government neglect.
One of the patients, Abubakar Muhammad, said he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his left hand during an attack on Babban Rafi village about three weeks ago.
“They came on about 20 motorcycles and started shooting indiscriminately. I tried to escape, but one of them chased me, ordered me to stop, and when I refused, he opened fire. Several bullets hit my hand and I lost consciousness,” he recounted.
Muhammad said he had been bearing the cost of his medical treatment without any assistance from the government.
“Since I was admitted about three weeks ago, no government official has visited us or offered to pay our medical bills,” he said.
Another injured victim, Muhammad Sahabi, narrated how he was attacked while transporting bags of grain on his motorcycle.
“They shot me in the hand, and my family has been responsible for all my hospital expenses,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he had yet to receive a briefing on the incident.
However, he assured our correspondent that further details would be provided once he receives a full report on the attack.