Residents of at least 21 villages in Sokoto State have abandoned their homes after a series of bandit threats and attacks, Daily Trust reports. The affected villages include Gidan Kare, Kaware, Chabi, Dattabi, Janwake, Sha Rana, Darbekami, Gidan Sule, Kuruwa, Mahuta, Dantayawa, Kawala, Bagirbe, Tsattsagi, Katsira, Imasa, Bela, Hura Girke, Galadimmai and Asha Ruwa. Most displaced families have taken refuge in Tureta town and nearby areas, where they live in cramped conditions, often with relatives rather than in organized camps. "Most of the displaced persons prefer to stay in the houses of their relatives where they can find shelter," one resident said, adding that the influx began about three days ago. Over 1,000 people are reported to be sleeping in classrooms at Abdulbaki Model Primary School without any humanitarian assistance.
A villager from Kuruwa explained that repeated raids forced them to leave, saying, "When they come, they kill men, women, children and even the elderly." Another from Sha Rana recounted fleeing on Thursday evening after warnings of a large‑scale attack, pleading, "Please bring us security. Do not wait until election time before coming to seek for our votes."
Attempts to reach the Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Security, Col. Usman Ahmad (rtd), and the Sokoto State Police spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufai, received no response. The displaced families continue to endure worsening humanitarian conditions while urging an urgent restoration of security.
The most striking element is the residents' explicit warning not to postpone security measures until election season, a plea that underscores how political timing is being used to justify inaction.
Bandit raids have intensified in the weeks preceding Ramadan, leaving villages empty and prompting nightly gunfire that fuels fear. The lack of official response, despite repeated calls to the governor's security adviser and the police command, leaves thousands crowded into a primary school and relatives' homes, with no food or aid.
For ordinary Nigerians in the affected villages, the crisis means loss of livelihood, exposure to hunger, and the prospect of giving birth in a makeshift shelter without basic supplies. Pregnant women, children and the elderly are especially vulnerable as they remain unable to return to farms or rebuild homes.
The episode mirrors a broader pattern of insecurity in northern Nigeria, where banditry repeatedly forces mass displacement and stretches limited humanitarian resources, highlighting the urgent need for sustained security interventions beyond electoral cycles.
