Northern Nigeria is sinking into a deep security crisis. In just five days, more than 100 people have lost their lives at the hands of jihadist groups and criminal gangs, commonly known as "bandits".

A Black Thursday in Sokoto State

The latest incident: a series of coordinated raids targeted several villages in the Isa and Sabon Birni districts on Thursday. According to local sources and officials, the toll is heavy.

1. Deaths: Between 11 and 12 people killed.
2. Abductions: 41 to 43 civilians captured.

This area is known to be under the influence of Bello Turji , a notorious gang leader who imposes a reign of terror, demanding illegal taxes from communities under threat of bloody reprisals.

Widespread insecurity

The region faces a dual threat that has intensified since last year:

1. The "Bandits": Armed gangs that carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and loot isolated villages, causing massive population displacements.
2. The Jihadists: More active in the Northeast, they are directly targeting the armed forces. On Thursday, an attack on a military base claimed the lives of several soldiers, including a Brigadier General .

An alarming weekly report

Since Sunday, the violence has continued unabated. Even before the events in Sokoto, at least 90 people had already been massacred in Kebbi and Niger States.

"The security situation was particularly dramatic on Wednesday and Thursday... They abducted dozens of people and killed indiscriminately." — Mohammed Saidu Bargaja, local MP.

Context: These repeated attacks against villages and military infrastructure illustrate the extreme difficulty faced by Nigerian authorities in stabilizing these border regions of the Sahel, where porous borders facilitate the actions of armed groups.