Terrorists killed at least three people, kidnapped an unspecified number of residents, and stole livestock in an attack on the Yartsakuwa community, Rabah Local Government Area, Sokoto State.
According to the Sokoto State Police Command, the attack took place in the early hours of Sunday.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the incident in a WhatsApp conversation with our correspondent, stating that three people were killed, some residents were abducted, and livestock were rustled.
“Yes, three were killed, and also some persons were kidnapped, and animals were rustled,” Rufai said.
A security source likewise confirmed that the attackers stormed the community, shot three people dead, and abducted an unspecified number of residents.
The source stated that the assailants also made off with several livestock during the attack.
In the meantime, a survivor, Najeeb Yartsakuwa, had earlier drawn attention to the incident in a Facebook post, claiming that four people, including three men and a woman, were killed.
He further revealed that the attackers stormed their family house and abducted his biological sister and four sisters-in-law, along with other women from the community.
The survivor, however, noted that the exact number of those abducted was still unknown.
He voiced sorrow over the attack and called for prayers for the safe return of those abducted, while also praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased and a swift recovery for the injured.
The police confirmation placed the death toll at three, as against the four deaths reported by the survivor.
The attack adds to mounting security worries in parts of Sokoto, where armed groups continue to threaten rural communities through killings, abductions, and cattle rustling.
In September 2026, troops of Operation Fansan Yamma recovered a large herd of rustled cattle after intercepting suspected terrorists fleeing the Asarara Kaura community in the Kebbe LGA of the state.
The troops reportedly acted on credible intelligence and caught up with the fleeing terrorists along the Tambuwal–Gadaichi–Gummi axis.
During the encounter, the terrorists exchanged gunfire with the troops before retreating into the surrounding bushes with gunshot wounds, leaving the cattle behind.
