Grief descended on Darusa, a border community in Sokoto State, after suspected Lakurawa terrorists attacked a weekly market and shot dead two currency traders, residents and police authorities have said.
The attack occurred late last week at the Darusa market in Gudu Local Government Area, a commercial hub along the Nigeria–Niger border where traders from both countries converge for business.
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Eyewitnesses told PREMIUM TIMES that the assailants arrived at the market on four motorcycles, with two armed men on each bike.
The terrorists, residents said, brandished rifles as they rode into the crowded marketplace, sending traders and customers scampering for safety.
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According to a resident who requested anonymity for security reasons, the attackers moved directly toward the Bureau de Change (BDX) operators and shot them at close range.
“They went straight to where the money changers were seated,” the resident said. “They killed Alhaji Ummaru and Muhammad Sani on the spot, packed all the money they were using for their business and disappeared.”
The victims, Ummaru Darusa and Muhammad Sani, were both well-known for providing foreign exchange services to traders operating between Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic.
Residents said Mr Sani was a Nigerien national who had official trading recognition in Niger but regularly carried out his currency exchange business in Darusa, reflecting the deep cross-border economic ties sustained by the market.
Community members believe the attackers had monitored Mr Ummaru for some time, waiting for a busy market day to strike and escape with large sums of cash, including Nigerian and foreign currencies.
Darusa market serves as a vital economic lifeline for surrounding rural communities, making the killings not only a personal tragedy for the victims’ families but also a blow to local commerce.
Locals blamed the attack on inadequate security in the border area and urged authorities to step up patrols to protect traders and residents from repeated assaults.
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Residents also said the Lakurawa gunmen have, for years, operated with little restraint in parts of Gudu and neighbouring Tangaza Local Government Area, imposing fear on farming and trading communities.
Confirming the incident, the Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Rufa’i, said the attack occurred on Thursday.
He added that one of the victims died instantly, while the second died after being taken to Dogon Daji Hospital for treatment.
The incident adds to mounting concerns over insecurity in Nigeria’s border regions, where traders and rural residents remain soft targets for armed groups.
Security analysts have repeatedly called for coordinated border policing and intelligence sharing to stem the growing violence.
