Sokoto bandit attack: Eight farmers killed, five injured in alleged reprisal

At least eight farmers have been killed and five others injured after suspected bandits attacked Ghandi community in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State, with residents alleging that the assault was carried out in retaliation for recent security operations against armed groups in the area.

The attack occurred on Sunday afternoon, August 30, when the assailants reportedly stormed the community at about 3pm and opened fire on farmers, triggering panic among residents.

The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed that eight farmers were killed and five others sustained gunshot injuries.

Rufai said the command was aware of the incident and was gathering additional information to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attack.

“Yes, we are aware of the attack. Eight farmers were killed while another five were injured. We will make it public once we are done with the information being gathered on it,” the police spokesman said.

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attackers arrived in the community around 3pm and began shooting at people.

The resident said no fewer than eight farmers were killed, while at least five others sustained gunshot wounds during the attack.

The source alleged that the assault was a reprisal attack, claiming that some members of the armed group had recently been killed during security operations in the area.

“We believe this was a retaliatory attack because some members of the group were killed by security personnel in the last few days,” the resident said.

The alleged motive has not been independently confirmed by the police, which said investigations and information gathering were still ongoing.

The latest violence has heightened concerns among residents of Ghandi and neighbouring communities, particularly farmers who depend on access to their fields for their livelihoods.

The attack also came amid heightened military activity in the area.

The Nigerian Army said troops operating under Operation FANSAN YAMMA foiled an attempted advance by armed terrorists towards Ghandi town on Sunday.

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According to the Army, troops of Sector 2 received intelligence about the movement of an armed group towards the area and deployed to strategic positions around Ghandi Bridge.

The troops subsequently engaged the attackers, forcing them to retreat after coming under military fire.

The Army said several members of the armed group sustained gunshot wounds, while some reportedly attempted to escape by jumping into a nearby river.

The military did not establish a direct link between the operation and the attack on farmers in its initial account.

It also did not state whether the armed group confronted by troops was responsible for the earlier attack on the farming community.

The sequence of events has nevertheless raised concerns about a possible escalation of violence in Rabah LGA, particularly if the attack was indeed connected to recent security operations.

There have also been differing accounts of the number of people killed in the wider violence.

While the Sokoto police confirmed eight farmers killed and five injured in the Ghandi attack, another account citing a security source put the number of deaths at five across Ghandi and nearby Gidan Kare communities.

That account alleged that three people were killed in Ghandi and two in Gidan Kare, while some houses were reportedly set ablaze.

The conflicting casualty figures have not been independently reconciled, but the police confirmation remains the clearest official account available on the Ghandi attack.

The incident adds to the growing security challenges confronting farming communities across Sokoto State and Nigeria’s North-West.

Bandit groups operating in the region have been accused of carrying out killings, kidnappings, cattle rustling, attacks on villages and assaults on farmers.

The persistent insecurity has also affected agricultural activities, with some farmers reluctant to travel to remote farms because of the risk of being attacked or abducted.

For communities such as Ghandi, the security situation creates both an immediate humanitarian concern and a longer-term economic threat.

Farmers who are unable to safely access their fields may lose crops and income, while repeated attacks can worsen food insecurity and deepen economic hardship.

The alleged reprisal nature of the attack is also significant because retaliatory violence can create a cycle in which security operations against armed groups are followed by attacks on civilians perceived to be vulnerable.

Security agencies have continued to intensify operations against armed groups in the North-West, including Sokoto, as part of efforts to protect communities, disrupt criminal networks and restore access to rural areas.

However, the latest Sokoto bandit attack demonstrates the continuing difficulty of protecting dispersed farming communities from armed groups operating across large rural areas.

Authorities are expected to provide further information as investigations continue and security agencies assess the situation in Ghandi and surrounding communities.

For now, the Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed that eight farmers were killed and five others injured, while the claim that the attack was carried out as a reprisal remains an allegation pending further confirmation.

The latest incident has renewed calls for sustained security operations and stronger protection for farmers and rural residents in Rabah Local Government Area, particularly as agricultural communities continue to face threats from armed groups.

Sokoto bandit attack: Eight farmers killed, five injured in alleged reprisal

Nigerian Army X account hit in second military cyber breach in two weeks

The Nigerian Army has reported an attempted unauthorised access to its official X account, marking the second reported cyber incident involving a major Nigerian military social media platform in about two weeks.

The incident occurred on Saturday, August 29, 2026, after a series of unusual posts, including memecoin-related content, appeared on the Army’s official X account.

The suspicious posts reportedly began appearing at about 3:50pm, while the Army said it detected and began responding to the attempted unauthorised access at about 5pm.

The development was confirmed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, in a statement published through the Army’s official Facebook account.

“The Nigerian Army has detected and is actively responding to an attempted unauthorised access to its official X (formerly Twitter) account,” Anele said.

She said the Army had immediately activated technical and protective measures to secure the account, prevent further unauthorised access and safeguard the integrity of information disseminated through the platform.

According to the Army, efforts were also underway to fully secure the affected account and restore exclusive administrative control.

“The Nigerian Army assures members of the public, the media and other stakeholders that appropriate measures are underway to fully secure the affected account and restore exclusive administrative control,” Anele said.

The appearance of cryptocurrency and memecoin-related posts on the account was particularly unusual because the platform is an official communication channel used by the Army to publish information about military operations, security developments, recruitment and other activities.

The Army therefore urged members of the public, journalists and other stakeholders to exercise caution and disregard any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content posted through the affected account.

The military warned that such content should not be regarded as representing its official position.

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It also advised media organisations and members of the public to verify information through its other official communication channels until the situation is fully resolved.

The Army identified its alternative official platforms as its Facebook accounts, @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo; Instagram accounts, @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo; YouTube accounts, @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfotv; and the X account @nigerianarmyinfo.

It was not immediately clear whether the Army had completely regained control of the affected X account or whether any sensitive information had been accessed during the incident.

The Army did not identify the person or group responsible for the attempted breach and did not disclose the technical method allegedly used to gain access.

There was also no immediate indication that the incident involved a wider compromise of the Army’s internal computer networks or classified military systems.

However, the incident has raised concerns because official military social media accounts have become important channels for communicating security-related information to Nigerians and the international community.

A compromised military social media account could potentially be used to circulate false information about security operations, military deployments, recruitment exercises, security alerts or other sensitive issues.

It could also be exploited to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes, malicious links or other deceptive content to followers who assume that posts from a verified military account are genuine.

The latest incident is particularly significant because it came only about two weeks after the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) experienced a similar breach involving its official X account.

On August 15, the DHQ disclosed that its X account had been compromised and warned the public against relying on suspicious content posted through the platform.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said at the time that appropriate technical measures had been implemented to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access.

The DHQ account was subsequently recovered, with the military thanking members of the public for their patience and support.

The earlier incident also involved the appearance of cryptocurrency-related posts on the official Defence Headquarters account, despite the platform being primarily used for official military communications.

The recurrence of similar incidents within a short period has heightened concerns over the cybersecurity of Nigerian military communication platforms.

However, there is currently no official confirmation that the Army and DHQ incidents were connected or that the same individuals were responsible.

The Nigerian Army has also not disclosed whether the latest incident resulted from compromised login credentials, a phishing attack, an administrator account breach or another form of unauthorised access.

Cybersecurity incidents involving official social media accounts can create significant risks even when military networks themselves are not compromised.

Government accounts with large audiences can be used to rapidly spread misinformation, impersonate officials or direct followers towards fraudulent schemes.

The incidents have therefore renewed calls for stronger protection of official government social media platforms, including robust authentication systems, multi-factor authentication, secure administrator access and rapid response procedures when suspicious activity is detected.

For the Nigerian Army, the immediate priority remains securing the affected account and ensuring that only authorised personnel can publish content through it.

The military has urged Nigerians and the media not to share or rely on unusual information appearing on the affected platform without verification.

The public has instead been advised to use the Army’s alternative official communication channels for verified information while the X account security incident is being addressed.

The Army also assured Nigerians and other stakeholders that it remains committed to maintaining information integrity, operational security and responsible strategic communication.

The latest incident underscores the growing importance of cybersecurity for government institutions as social media continues to play a central role in official communication.

With the Nigerian Army X account now the second major military social media platform to face a reported cyber breach in about two weeks, pressure is likely to increase on Nigeria’s defence and security institutions to strengthen the protection of their digital communication infrastructure.

Nigerian Army X account hit in second military cyber breach in two weeks

Nigerian ex-carer jailed for eight years in UK after robbing vulnerable elderly victims

A Nigerian former care worker, Ediongseyene Essien, has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United Kingdom after carrying out a series of burglary and robbery offences against elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people in Liverpool, including some individuals he had previously cared for.

Essien, 32, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, August 28, after being convicted of multiple offences committed in the city.

According to Merseyside Police, he received three years for burglary and five years for robbery, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively, resulting in an eight-year custodial term.

Police said Essien, who is a Nigerian national, will serve 30 per cent of the sentence before being deported from the UK. A restraining order covering his six victims has also been imposed.

The offences began shortly after Essien was suspended from his job as a carer following allegations of theft.

Police said he was suspended by his employer on March 9. The following day, he carried out four separate burglaries in the L6 area of Liverpool, targeting elderly and vulnerable people, including individuals for whom he had previously provided care.

In the first incident, Essien stole a bank card from a blind and vulnerable man and subsequently used the card to make several transactions in the surrounding area.

Investigators later established that Essien was familiar with the property because of his previous care role. He was able to gain entry using information connected to a coded key safe outside the home.

Essien subsequently entered the home of another elderly resident and went into the person’s bedroom. Police believe nothing was stolen during that incident.

Later that evening, at about 7.30pm, he gained entry to the home of a severely disabled, bedbound resident. Police said Essien searched through the property but apparently left without taking anything.

The most serious incident that day occurred at about 9pm when Essien smashed the rear patio door of an elderly couple’s home.

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The couple were inside when they saw him enter their living room. Essien stole a wallet containing cash before leaving the property.

The incidents did not end with the March burglaries.

After being arrested on March 16 and later released on conditional bail while investigations continued, Essien was linked to two further robbery offences on May 15.

At about 2.20pm, he reportedly forced his way into the home of a vulnerable man with several health conditions and stole cash from the living room.

Later that day, around 5pm, Essien approached a vulnerable woman carrying a walking stick in the Fairfield area of Liverpool and forcibly took her handbag.

The woman attempted to defend herself with her walking stick, but Essien managed to take the bag, which contained cash and bank cards.

Police arrested Essien again on May 17, after which he was charged with the robbery offences and remanded in custody.

The case highlighted the particular vulnerability of some of Essien’s victims, several of whom were elderly, disabled or living with serious health conditions.

Police also said his previous employment as a carer gave him knowledge of some victims and their living arrangements, making the offences particularly concerning.

Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke of Merseyside Police condemned Essien’s actions, describing the offences as particularly reprehensible because he had previously cared for some of the people he targeted.

“Essien committed a series of reprehensible burglary and robbery offences against people he had previously cared for, and other vulnerable victims,” O’Rourke said.

He said it was difficult to comprehend that someone whose professional responsibility was to care for vulnerable people would subsequently target some of those same individuals, as well as other elderly and unwell people.

The detective said the victims had experienced significant distress as a result of the offences and praised them for their patience and cooperation throughout the investigation.

“Essien has today been given a significant prison sentence, which we hope brings a measure of comfort to those he harmed,” O’Rourke said.

Merseyside Police also highlighted the role of CCTV and doorbell camera footage in investigations into burglary and robbery offences, encouraging residents to report suspicious activity and take appropriate steps to secure their homes.

The case has renewed attention on the importance of safeguarding elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those who depend on professional carers for assistance in their homes.

For some victims, Essien’s previous position of trust meant he was familiar with their homes and, in at least one case, had knowledge that enabled him to gain access to the property.

Beyond the financial losses, the offences caused significant emotional distress to victims who were confronted in their homes or physically targeted in public.

Merseyside Police confirmed that a restraining order has been imposed in relation to all six victims.

The eight-year sentence represents the conclusion of the criminal proceedings against Essien, although he is expected to serve only part of the sentence in the UK before being deported.

The case underscores the serious consequences of exploiting positions of trust to target people who may be particularly vulnerable to crime.

It also highlights the need for effective safeguarding measures and careful monitoring when individuals are placed in positions that give them access to vulnerable people and their homes.

Nigerian ex-carer jailed for eight years in UK after robbing vulnerable elderly victims