Ambush in Sokoto: bandits kill newly recruited teacher, driver and 5-year-old son

Suspected bandits have killed a newly recruited teacher, a driver and his five-year-old son in an ambush along the Gundumi-Isa road in Sokoto state, while three other people were reportedly injured and another passenger remained missing.

The victims were identified as Maniru Sa’adu Imam, 30, a newly recruited teacher; Abdurrahman Umar, the driver of the vehicle that transported them; and Umar’s five-year-old son, Abubakar Abdurrahman. Project reports

The incident occurred on Wednesday as the victims were returning to Isa Local Government Area after traveling to Sokoto metropolis for a salary verification exercise before the commencement of payments to newly recruited teachers.

According to reports, a witness, Malam Kabiru Isa, said the victims were traveling behind a convoy of vehicles returning to Isa under security escort when the attack occurred.

Isa explained that Isa residents usually travel to the Sokoto metropolis on Wednesdays and Saturdays due to major security concerns in the area.

He said the convoy left around 4pm on Wednesday, but some vehicles, including the one carrying the victims, returned to their usual meeting point after other members of the group had left.

“We wanted to wait for everyone who had traveled with us, but the security officers insisted that we leave early, so we left them behind,” the witness said.

According to him, security personnel escorting the convoy spotted the suspected bandits as they approached Gundumi and opened fire, forcing the gunmen to flee.

However, the attackers later reportedly ambushed vehicles traveling behind the convoy and opened fire on their occupants.

“They killed three people, including Imam, the driver and his son. They also injured three other people, while one passenger is still missing,” Isa said.

The witness added that the deceased were buried on Thursday morning.

Teacher killed before receiving first paycheck

According to the witness, Imam was among the teachers recently recruited by the Sokoto State Government and assigned to the Government Secondary School, Maitandu.

The 30-year-old father of one had traveled to the Sokoto metropolis to complete a verification exercise required before newly recruited teachers could start receiving their salaries.

He had reportedly not yet received his first paycheck at the time of his death.

“He had not yet started receiving his salary. In fact, he went to Sokoto for the pre-payment verification exercise,” Isa said.

His killing highlighted the dangers faced by residents traveling between communities in parts of Sokoto state where insecurity has disrupted movement and other routine activities.

The circumstances of the attack also raise concerns about the safety of travelers outside the main body of escorted convoys, particularly along routes affected by suspected banditry.

Safety issues along the Gundumi-Isa road

The witness said Isa residents had restricted their travel to the Sokoto metropolis to two days a week, Wednesday and Saturday, due to the prevailing security situation.

The agreement, he explained, allows residents traveling to and from the state capital to coordinate their movements, although the incident demonstrated that those who become separated from the main group can remain vulnerable.

According to his account, security personnel escorting the convoy encountered suspected bandits near Gundumi and engaged them, forcing them to retreat. The gunmen are later said to have attacked the vehicles following them.

Three people were reportedly injured in the ambush, while the whereabouts of another passenger were unknown at the time of reporting.

The identity and condition of the injured passengers, as well as the identity of the missing person, were not immediately available.

Efforts to get confirmation from the Sokoto State Police Command were unsuccessful as the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, reportedly did not respond to the reporter’s calls.

There was no immediate official police statement on the incident in the available report.

The attack compounds security concerns in parts of Sokoto State, where suspected bandit groups have threatened communities and disrupted travel, livelihoods and access to public services.

For Imam’s family, his death occurred before he could begin receiving the salary tied to his new teaching position. The killing of Umar and his young son also left another family mourning two relatives following the reported ambush.

The incident highlights the human cost of insecurity for ordinary residents, including civil servants who travel to complete routine administrative requirements.