Authorities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State have dismissed reports alleging that bandits attacked a mosque and killed worshippers, including an Imam. Officials described the account as inaccurate and capable of causing unnecessary fear among residents.
Council Chairman, Alhaji Ayuba Hashimu, on Sunday said no mosque was targeted and no worshippers were killed as claimed in the circulating report.
“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of an Imam and worshippers being killed. The story is false,” he said.
Similarly, the member representing Sabon Birni Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Alhaji Aminu Boza, refuted the claims, saying there was no such incident in the area.
“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he stated.
However, security sources confirmed that troops of the Nigerian Army thwarted an attempted bandit attack in Gatawa village in the early hours of December 5, along the Dan-Kamarawa–Gatawa corridor. The attackers reportedly engaged local vigilantes in sporadic gunfire before troops arrived and forced them to flee.
Four vigilante members were injured during the confrontation and are receiving treatment.
A security source noted that the swift response of the troops prevented what could have escalated into a major assault on the community, adding that normalcy has since been restored.
Residents have been urged to disregard unverified claims and rely on credible information as security measures have been strengthened across the local government area.
