By RFPosted on 21-07-2019Modified on 21-07-2019 at 17:53
Gunmen attacked three villages in northwestern Nigeria's Sokoto state, killing at least 37 people, local and official sources reported on Sunday (July 21st). The attack took place on Wednesday. "Bandits" - as they are known in this region - arrived by motorcycle. They raided three villages in Goronyo District. The state of Sokoto was until then rarely the target of major attack. And the situation is worrying Abuja.
According to the district chief of the three villages, the attackers were able to conduct their attack for two hours. In front of them, a ridiculous retort constituted by militias of self-defense of villagers deprived. The Nigerian security forces are moreover not very present proportionally with the potential risks of violence.
In this extreme northwestern Nigeria, many villages are isolated from the world especially during the rainy season. Some security experts mention the possible infiltration of gangs of armed men by some movements claiming Islamism.
But for the moment no official claim of the raids has been made.
Except for 2012 , Sokoto State is little affected by Boko Haram, the armed group with its rear bases at the opposite extreme, in northeastern Nigeria and around Lake Chad.
Yet the authorities in Abuja are worried. Two police stations in Sokoto underwent attempted suicide attacks in early July. And in addition to these last mortal raids against villages. Despite the presence on its soil of the sultan, the first figure of Islam in Nigeria, the state of Sokoto is no longer considered an untouchable sanctuary for gangs of men armed.
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