NEMA: 7,000 residents displaced by attacks on Sokoto communities

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says 7,000 people have been displaced in two LGAs of Sokoto state, following attacks by suspected bandits.

In a statement on Thursday, Manzo Ezekiel, NEMA’s head of media and public relations, listed the affected councils as Sabon Birni and Isa LGAs of the state.

According to Ezekiel, a joint assessment by the staff of NEMA and Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) established that no fewer than 6,200 of the affected persons were currently living in camps and host communities.

He added that the camps are in Sabon Birni Primary School, Isa town, in Sokoto and neighbouring Shinkafi town in Zamfara.

He said Aliyu Kafindangi, head of NEMA, Sokoto operations office, who led the assessment team, sympathised with victims of the attacks and assured them of necessary relief support.

“Many communities in Sabon Birni and Isa Local Government Areas of Sokoto State were affected by several incidents of the alleged bandit attacks, which resulted in the loss of lives, injury, property damages including houses, livestock and displacement of the people from their homes forcing them to flee to other neighbouring communities,” the statement reads.

“Due to the tense security situation, the NEMA team could not access the areas immediately.”

Kafindangi also commended the army, police and other security operatives “for facilitating the assessment which was conducted with officials of the affected local government areas and community leaders”.