On Monday, a crowd of displaced residents from villages across Shagari Local Government Area in Sokoto State brought traffic along the Shagari–Sokoto highway to a halt. Armed with placards and mounting frustration, they staged a protest demanding immediate government action to address the escalating insecurity that has left their homes desolate and their lives precarious .
Hundreds of men and women, many of them mothers and fathers of young children, gathered in Shagari Town—LGA headquarters—as they expressed deep anger and urgency over repeated bandit attacks that have ravaged more than ten villages, including Tungar-Barke, Lungu, Aske-Dodo, Tungar-Doruwa, Zango, ‘Yan Yandu, Tungar Na’anza, and Ila . These coordinated raids forced entire communities to flee, seeking refuge in open spaces, bushy areas, or makeshift shelter in nearby towns .
The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have since conducted assessments at a temporary Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located at the 30 Houses Estate in Shagari town. The displaced community leaders—among them Hakimin ‘Yan Dundaji, Malam Muhammad Bello Magaji, and Maigarin Tungar-Barke Muhammadu Tudu—emphasized the gravity of their plight and called for urgent humanitarian and security responses .
Tragically, reports from Rinaye town reveal that the attacks extended beyond property damage and displacement: three people were killed, and the district head and local clerics were abducted, further heightening community fears of lawlessness and state absence .
Residents made it clear that normalcy cannot return until the government ensures their safety. They warned that many displaced individuals have not received any meaningful support or assurance from authorities or security agencies .
State officials have responded diplomatically in the past. Deputy Governor Idris Mohammed Gobir visited displaced persons in Tureta LGA and pledged collaboration with security agencies to ensure safe returns, appealing to displaced communities to share any information about suspicious activities . Meanwhile, the Sokoto State government has previously expressed openness to dialogue with repentant bandits and has intermittently pursued peace engagements alongside security operations .
Adding to the complexity, Sokoto State recently suffered a horrific attack on July 1, 2025, in the village of Kwallajiya—located in Tangaza LGA—where militants believed to be affiliated with IS-Sahel Province and the Lakurawa group killed up to 17 people and injured several others during prayers and farm work. Witnesses say homes and farmlands were deliberately torched in the assault, and locals believe the raid was retaliatory following the deaths of some insurgents at the hands of local vigilantes .
Across northwestern Nigeria, states like Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Sokoto have long oscillated between hardline military interventions and experimental peace deals with bandits. Despite these strategies, insecurity persists—particularly in rural and border communities where national security presence is thin and geography favors insurgents .
For many displaced residents in Shagari and surrounding areas, life remains suspended in fear. They recount being unable to return to their farms during planting or harvest seasons, watching their livelihoods vanish. More than twenty days—or weeks in some cases—have passed with persistent threats from armed groups at night, making homes unsafe even after sunset .
As dawn breaks on Shagari once more, the protest grinds on as a desperate plea: restore our security, protect our homes, and give us the chance to rebuild our lives.