I’m Residents displaced from Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State say worsening banditry has forced families to undertake dangerous journeys into neighboring Niger Republic in search of safety.
Several residents told reporters that relatives began fleeing after renewed threats and attacks by gunmen loyal to notorious bandit leader Bello Turji. A video circulating on social media this week showed residents fleeing affected communities; local authorities later confirmed its authenticity.
The secretary of the Sokoto Eastern Zone Development Association,Prof. Muazu Shamaki, said the exodus started last Friday following threats issued to settlements around Tidibali, a community in Isa Local Government area.
“People in the local government area received threats from bandits,” Shamaki said. “Since last Friday, many residents have been rushing to the local government headquarters to lodge complaints.”
He added that more than 20 settlements across different parts of the council area have been evacuated in response to the threats.
In separate interviews, former residents said family members were crossing into Niger Republic despite the risks. One resident, Mohammed Saleh, speaking from Dole Kena, a border community in the Sabon Birni area of Sokoto State, said many fled with wives, children and elderly relatives.
“A lot of people have travelled to Niger Republic to join their families,” Saleh said. “Those of us here cannot really state the condition of everyone in Niger right now.”
For residents still trapped in the affected communities, uncertainty remains high. “For us that are still here, we don’t know what our fate will be,” he said.
Saleh also said some residents were intercepted after crossing the border and sent back to Nigeria. “Upon crossing the border, some of us were arrested by authorities and returned to our country,” he said.
