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Gangs on motorbikes killed 37 people across two days of raids on a rural community in Sokoto state, residents and a security report said on Wednesday, in the latest mass violence to hit northwest Nigeria.
The assault on Dangulbi village in Tuteria district began Sunday when gunmen believed to be bandits shot dead 17 people and pillaged local shops, according to a security report prepared for the UN and obtained by AFP.
The attackers struck early Tuesday again, this time targeting mourners who had gathered to bury the dead from the first raid. A local official told AFP that at least 20 people perished in the second attack.
“The victims were sheltered under sheds, following an earlier attack on the community on May 31,” the security report noted.
Dalhatu Dangulbi, the village councillor who lost both his brother and uncle in the violence, described how the gunmen showed no mercy.
“The bandits opened fire on mourners for the 17 people they killed in the Sunday attack,” Dangulbi said.
He added that the assailants returned late Tuesday for a third time, torching “the whole village”. Many residents suffered injuries in the blaze, he said.
Following the Sunday attack, the gunmen had abducted several people from two neighbouring villages and demanded petrol in exchange for their release. But a rainstorm hours later allowed the captives to flee to safety, according to the security report.
Authorities believe the bandits operated from camps in Bagega village, a notorious stronghold in neighbouring Zamfara state.
Bube Abdullahi, a resident of nearby Bisama village, said the attack was “unprecedented,” noting that the community had endured attacks before but nothing like this.
He noted that five of those killed on Sunday had been visiting relatives to celebrate the Muslim Eid festivities. The bandits also made off with “hundreds of livestock” from surrounding herding settlements, he added.
Amnesty International weighed in on Tuesday, accusing authorities of failing to protect vulnerable communities.
The killings “underscore the continuing failure of the authorities to protect communities from relentless attacks by gunmen”, the rights group said in a statement.
Amnesty called for justice for the victims and warned that the repeated violence was destroying farming livelihoods and pushing “thousands of people” into destitution.
Sokoto: Authorities must ensure justice and protection after gunmen kill 17 in Dangulbi
Amnesty International strongly condemns the killing of at least 17 people, including visitors who had travelled to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir with their families, during an attack by gunmen on…
— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) June 2, 2026
Bandit gangs, known for kidnapping-for-ransom and cattle-rustling, have terrorised northern and central Nigeria for years. Their attacks typically involve raiding villages, killing and abducting residents, and looting and burning homes.
