Amnesty International has strongly condemned the brutal killing of at least 15 people by Lakurawa insurgents during an attack on Kwalajiya village in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to eyewitness accounts, the gunmen stormed the village on Wednesday during afternoon prayers, opening fire on worshippers and farmers alike. In addition to the fatalities, dozens sustained serious injuries, and an unspecified number of villagers remain missing. Homes were reportedly torched, and shops looted in the coordinated assault, triggering mass displacement.
Survivors have taken shelter at Sardaunan Tangaza Model Primary School as the humanitarian situation worsens. The attack is part of a disturbing pattern of violence in eastern Sokoto, where communities have endured relentless assaults by armed groups over the past two years.
Amnesty International criticized the Nigerian authorities for what it described as “gross incompetence” and a “total disregard for human life.” The organization said that the repeated failure of state and federal governments to protect these vulnerable communities has led to deepening insecurity and humanitarian crisis in the region.
“Eastern Sokoto has become Nigeria’s forgotten conflict,” Amnesty stated, adding that the government has failed to stop the violence or hold perpetrators accountable, thereby enabling impunity.
The human rights group is calling for urgent, independent investigations into the attacks and for perpetrators to be brought to justice. It warned that the continued inability of authorities to act decisively is placing more lives at risk and worsening the region’s instability.
