Security experts in Sokoto have described a viral social media video depicting a mass exodus from a Sokoto community as stale and misleading.
The video, which first surfaced online early this year, showed panicked women and children fleeing in droves from Tidebale ward and neighbouring villages in Isa Local Government Area, Sokoto East Senatorial District.
Locals have since clarified that the footage was recorded when security personnel escorted those communities to a safer location in response to a threat posed by notorious bandit leader Bello Turji.
In reaction to the situation, the General Officer Commanding the 8 Division and Commander of Joint Operation Fasan Yamma, Major General Paul Koughna, led troops to the affected areas and deployed sufficient security across the general area.
Villagers confirmed that they have since returned to their communities and have enjoyed peace. They added that they have continued their agricultural activities without hindrance.
Some of those who had fled to Isa town and neighbouring Shinkafi in Zamfara State for safety said they were happy to be back in their ancestral homes. “Nothing is as good as being in your personal abode,” one resident said.
Another former displaced person recounted: “When the warning came, it deepened an already fragile security situation in Sokoto East, where rural communities remain vulnerable. All of us – women, children, and the elderly – were displaced. We really suffered during that period of forced exile. Some slept in overcrowded homes of relatives; others in makeshift shelters. We left everything behind. But thank God we are back now.” (NAN)
