Sokoto : Bandits deploy IEDs targeting soldiers, civilians

Following a series of fresh attacks on local villages, residents of Kurawa and neighboring communities are facing a terrifying new obstacle: roads rigged with explosives. Early Sunday morning, suspected bandits allegedly planted an IED along the Sabon Birni–Kurawa road—a move locals believe was intentionally designed to neutralize security personnel stationed in Sabon Birni by blocking their rescue routes.…

The residents told Daily Trust that the explosive was allegedly planted in the early hours of Sunday to prevent security personnel stationed in Sabon Birni from responding to distress calls during raids.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said dozens of armed bandits riding motorcycles invaded Kurawa village at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday.

He said the attackers killed one resident identified as Sabiu Yakubu, injured others and carted away valuables, including livestock.

 “The soldiers usually respond whenever we call them during attacks, and they have been trying their best. But this time, after we alerted them, they could not reach us until the attackers had left,” he said.

He attributed the delayed response to the recent IED attack at Bargaja, which reportedly claimed the lives of three security personnel.

According to him, while residents were mourning the attack on Sunday morning, a young man identified as Mudassir Salihu boarded a commercial motorcycle from Kurawa to Sabon Birni.

“About one kilometre from Kurawa, the motorcycle stepped on the IED. Both the rider and passenger sustained serious injuries but survived,” he said.

He added that another Volkswagen Golf saloon car travelling along the same road also struck another suspected IED, damaging its front portion and injuring some passengers.

“As of the time I visited the scene, no one was killed in the explosions, but the vehicles were badly damaged,” he added.

Another resident of Garin Zago village, whose in-law was killed during the attack, said they had received information that about 20 motorcycles conveying bandits were heading towards their communities.

“We were keeping vigil when it started raining around 1:40 a.m. Shortly afterwards, they opened fire. They killed Salisu Yakuba, shot a vigilante member identified as Basiru Dan Banga, and abducted three people. However, two of the abductees later escaped, leaving only Sani Yakuba in captivity,” he said.

He added that the attackers also rustled two cows.

The resident appealed to the government and security agencies to end the recurring attacks, alleging that community members are often threatened whenever they speak publicly about the insecurity.

Read also: Bandits kidnap village head’s family in Kaduna

“We are accused of opposing the state government whenever we report what is happening to us, yet we continue to suffer these attacks without adequate intervention,” he lamented.

A security analyst based in Sokoto also claimed in a Facebook post that more than 10 armed men believed to be loyal to the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, were sighted attempting to plant the suspected IED near Kurawa village on Saturday night before launching the attack.

According to the analyst, the suspects were wearing night-vision goggles while carrying out the operation. He further claimed that the explosive devices later damaged a vehicle and a motorcycle after the attack. Daily Trust could not independently verify the claim.

Efforts to get comments from the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufai, and the member representing Sabon Birni North Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Aminu Boza, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to them were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

The latest incident comes barely 8 days after suspected bandits detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting security personnel near Bargaja in Isa Local Government Area, an attack that reportedly claimed the lives of three security personnel and underscored the growing use of explosives by armed groups operating in Sokoto East.

Residents say the increasing deployment of IEDs by the bandits has heightened fears across communities in Sabon Birni, Isa, Goronyo and other parts of Sokoto East, as the explosives now pose a threat not only to security operatives but also to ordinary commuters, farmers and displaced persons attempting to return to their communities.