Lakurawa militants
Suspected militants of the Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP), locally referred to as Lakurawa, launched a deadly assault Wednesday morning on Kalenjini, the hometown of Tangaza Local Government Chairman, Isa Kalenjini.
Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen stormed the community shortly after the chairman left his residence, raising suspicions that he may have been the primary target of the attack. Local sources confirmed that the chairman narrowly escaped the ambush.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufa’i, said a joint security operation was quickly mobilized in response. The team is currently pursuing the attackers in the nearby Tangaza forest.
“Some of the rustled animals have been recovered following the gunmen’s retreat into the forest,” Rufa’i added.
Efforts to contact Chairman Isa Kalenjini for comments were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone remained unanswered at the time of filing this report.
The latest attack follows a similar incident on Tuesday, April 22, in Saminaka village, also in Tangaza. During that raid, armed men opened fire indiscriminately, killing one resident, Salihu Isiyaku Hamza, and carting away livestock including sheep, camels, and cattle. The attackers reportedly fled toward the Gohono forest after terrorizing the community.
Hamza was buried in accordance with Islamic rites by grieving family and community members.
The back-to-back assaults have heightened tensions across Tangaza Local Government Area, sparking renewed calls for strengthened security in the region. (Nigerian Tribune)
