Bandits on the prowl have killed five people in a village in Sokoto State, one of them a pregnant woman.
They also kidnapped six directors of the Ministry of Defence who were on their way from Lagos to Abuja for a directorate-level promotion examination.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that both incidents happened on Monday November 10, 2025.
In a statement on Tuesday by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, (ASCSN) its President, Shehu Mohammed and Secretary-General Joshua Apebo said the Defence Ministry had mobilised security operatives to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted officers.
The statement read: “Those kidnapped are Mrs Ngozi Ibeziakor, Mrs C.A. Emeribe, Mrs C. Helen Ezeakor, Mrs C.A. Ladoye, Mrs J.A. Onwuzurike, and Mrs Catherine O. Essien.
“These directors, who are members of our union and staff of Command Day Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos, were travelling from Lagos to Abuja when they were kidnapped.”
Because of this development, the union appealed the government to decentralise all promotion and verification exercises to prevent such incidents, warning that continued disregard for safety concerns could lead to further tragedies.
According to the ASCSN, “We have always advised the Federal Civil Service Commission to conduct promotion examinations in the states instead of compelling public service employees to travel long distances to Abuja.
“The current security situation and deplorable road conditions expose workers to grave risks.”
In the Sokoto deadly attack, the bandits were said to have attacked Alkalije village in Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing five people, including a pregnant woman.
Alkalije, a border community under Kilgori District, lies close to Silame Local Government Area and shares boundaries with parts of Kebbi State, an area notorious for frequent incursions by Lakurawa bandit groups.
According to local sources, the victims were killed on the spot, while two others sustained gunshot injuries and receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, lamented the repeated attacks, which he blamed on the absence of a security presence.
He said, “These gunmen have been crossing from Kebbi State and Silame to attack our villages. They kill, kidnap, and even impose levies on communities.
“If we fail to pay within the time they give, they come back to destroy and kill”. He appealed passionately to both the state and federal governments to establish a permanent security outpost in the area.
When contacted, the Sokoto State Police Command spokesman, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said he had yet to receive a formal report of the incident but promised to make inquiries.
In another development, the Kebbi State Police Command said it arrested a suspected bandit in Illo District of Bagudo Local Government Area, and recovered two locally made firearms and four cartridges from him.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, 27-year-old Buba Garba, a resident of Takalafiya village in Suru Local Government Area, was arrested on November 9 following an operation conducted with local vigilantes at Tungar Gwani village.
“On sighting the operatives, the suspect resisted arrest and used a knife to stab one of the vigilantes on the buttocks and left hand, inflicting serious injuries,” the police spokesman said.
The statement said the injured vigilante was immediately taken to a nearby medical facility and is currently receiving treatment.
During a search of the suspect, operatives reportedly found one locally made gun, one local barrel pistol, and four cartridges concealed in his possession.
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Birnin Kebbi.