Bandits Strike Again: Bride-To-Be, Bridesmaid And Others Kidnapped In Deadly Sokoto Raid

A bride-to-be, her bridesmaid, and eight other residents were kidnapped when armed men launched a violent raid on Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State in the early hours of Sunday. The attack occurred around 1:30 a.m., leaving the community in fear as the gunmen moved from house to house seizing mostly female victims and injuring one person, who is now receiving medical treatment.

Residents said the bride had been preparing for her wedding scheduled for later that morning when the attackers burst into the village. A community member, who requested anonymity, described the raid as heartbreaking, noting that security operatives were alerted but arrived nearly an hour after the gunmen had fled. The delay, he said, has deepened the community’s frustration over recurring attacks.

He called on authorities to step up efforts to protect rural areas that have increasingly become targets of mass abductions.

Spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, confirmed the incident, explaining that preliminary reports had been received and further details were being gathered as the investigation continues.

The Sokoto raid adds to a troubling pattern of violence unfolding across the country. Earlier on Sunday, gunmen stormed a church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, kidnapping a pastor, his wife, and several worshippers during a service. Witnesses said the attackers fired sporadically, forcing people to flee as the pastor—popularly known as Orlando—was taken alongside others.

The latest abductions have left residents in affected communities shaken, with growing calls for urgent and decisive action to curb the escalating insecurity.