Terror returned to Sokoto State late Thursday night as armed bandits loyal to the notorious warlord Bello Turji launched a deadly assault on Bargaja village, killing several residents, injuring others, and abducting at least 10 young women.
Residents of Bargaja in Isa Local Government Area recounted a terrifying night of violence on November 7, 2025, when heavily armed gunmen invaded their community around 11 p.m. Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze as panicked villagers fled into nearby bushes for safety.
“They came in large numbers, firing into the air and breaking into houses,” said a survivor who requested anonymity. “Many people were killed, and they took several young women away. It was chaos everywhere.”
Local sources confirmed that one person was critically injured while dozens remained missing as of Friday morning. The bandits reportedly looted food supplies, livestock, and valuables before retreating into the dense forests linking Sokoto and Zamfara States areas long known to be strongholds of Turji’s network.
The latest attack comes barely a week after a reported peace deal in neighbouring Zamfara State, where over 100 captives were freed following negotiations between local authorities and some bandit factions. Analysts fear the Sokoto raid may signal renewed defiance by Turji’s group or internal rivalry among armed gangs operating in the northwest.
Security operatives have since been deployed to the area, though residents lamented the slow response of law enforcement and the absence of adequate protection despite previous warnings about Turji’s movement along border communities.
Civil society organisations have condemned the continued wave of violence in northern Nigeria, calling for coordinated military operations and intelligence-sharing across states to dismantle bandit networks.
“This shows that the so-called peace talks are fragile at best,” said a regional security analyst. “Until the government addresses the root causes poverty, lack of governance, and arms proliferation the cycle of raids and kidnappings will persist.”
The Sokoto State Police Command has yet to release an official casualty figure, but authorities confirmed that investigations and pursuit operations are underway.
As families mourn their loved ones and search for the abducted women, the Bargaja attack stands as another grim reminder of the insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s northwest a crisis that continues to test the government’s resolve and the resilience of affected communities.
