At least 12 people have been killed, including a father and his two sons who were burnt alive, after heavily armed bandits launched a deadly midnight attack on Lajinge village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident reportedly lasted for about four hours without any security intervention, occurred between approximately 11:00 p.m. on Saturday and 3:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Daily Trust reports that the assailants stormed the village in large numbers, opening fire indiscriminately, setting houses ablaze, abducting villagers, rustling livestock, and moving freely through the community despite repeated distress calls to nearby security formations.
A resident disclosed that 11 of the victims died from gunshot wounds, while another victim, a woman identified as Agada, reportedly died after suffering severe shock during the attack.
The source narrated that six of the victims were burnt alive after the bandits surrounded a room where they had taken refuge.
According to him, the attackers ordered those hiding inside the room to come out, but when they refused, the gunmen poured petrol on the building and set it ablaze while opening fire on anyone attempting to escape.
“They ordered those inside to come out but they refused. The attackers then poured petrol on the room and opened fire. When those inside attempted to escape through the door, they kept shooting at them. Their bodies were left inside the burning room,” the resident said.
The victims who died in the inferno were identified as the head of the household, Mallam Wauro, popularly known as Mallam Roro; his two sons, Ukasha and Mujaheed; two relatives identified as Sufyanu and Sani Shanbami; and an internally displaced person (IDP) who had been taking refuge in the house.
The resident further revealed that another victim, Lawwali, was shot dead at the entrance of the same house while attempting to flee, bringing the total number of people killed within Mallam Wauro’s compound to seven.
According to the source, the remaining victims were shot while trying to escape from the village during the attack. They included Yusuf and three internally displaced persons who had sought refuge in Lajinge after fleeing previous attacks.
Another resident, who participated in the community’s local vigilante operation on the night of the invasion, said they had been stationed near the village primary school before the attackers struck unexpectedly.
“We were at the primary school guarding the village when we suddenly heard heavy gunfire. We all ran for safety and kept moving from one hiding place to another whenever the shooting came closer,” he said.
He explained that after overwhelming the local vigilantes, the gunmen moved unhindered from house to house, looting livestock and terrorising residents.
“They stationed one of their rifles in a strategic location that kept firing while the others entered houses to steal livestock,” the vigilante member said.
He added that the attackers later proceeded to Mallam Wauro’s residence, where they killed him and two of his sons, abducted his two wives, and carted away all his cattle.
Residents said they were unable to immediately determine the exact number of people abducted during the raid because many villagers were taken into the bush, although some, particularly children, were later released by the bandits.
The villagers expressed frustration that despite the attack lasting for nearly four hours, no security reinforcement arrived to confront the assailants.
“The bandits stayed in our village for hours without any intervention. They even walked along the main road laughing and smoking cigarettes as if they had conquered the community,” one resident lamented.
The residents further stated that security personnel stationed in Unguwar Lalle and Dan Tudu communities, both located about two kilometres from Lajinge village, ignored repeated distress calls throughout the prolonged attack.According to the villagers, community leaders had repeatedly appealed to the government to deploy permanent security personnel to the area due to persistent attacks by armed bandits, but their requests had yet to receive any positive response.
They also disclosed that eight residents were killed in the same community about three weeks ago, warning that the security situation in the area has continued to deteriorate.
Appealing to the Federal Government and Sokoto State authorities for urgent intervention, one resident said the community could no longer continue to live under constant fear of deadly attacks.
“We are Nigerians and we have voter cards. We elected the government to protect our lives and property. We are pleading with the authorities to deploy security personnel to safeguard our communities,” the resident appealed.
