Bandits strike again in Sokoto, abduct over 20 people on market day

Bandits hit Sabon Birni LGA in Sokoto State this morning, abducting more than 20 travellers and farmers along the road to the weekly market. Heavily armed men on motorcycles blocked the route around 10 a.m., opened fire, and started grabbing people.

One witness said the attackers tied women with their veils and forced victims onto motorcycles, marching others into the forest when the bikes got overcrowded. A man named Abdurrashid told reporters his mother was taken while working on their farm, and with his father sick, she was the only one providing for the family. He has now moved his younger siblings to their grandparents' house.

The police spokesperson, Ahmad Rufai, did not answer calls when contacted. This is the reality we are living in, and it keeps getting worse.