The Nigerian Army and the Sokoto State Police Command have dismissed a viral social media report claiming that more than 100 civilians, 10 soldiers and a Mobile Police officer were killed in an alleged attack on a community in Sokoto State.
The claim was published by a Facebook page, Hausaland Magazine, on October 5, 2026, alleging that armed men attacked a community identified as “Garin Gobir Gindin”, killing civilians and security personnel and abducting several residents.
The post described the alleged incident as a “genocide” and a “war on Hausa”, attributing the attack to suspected terrorists. It also claimed that the death toll was rising.
An image accompanying the publication showed several motionless people, some wearing military-style clothing and others dressed in civilian attire.
The post attracted comments from social media users, some of whom appeared to accept the allegations and made inflammatory remarks targeting ethnic groups.
However, security authorities denied that the alleged mass-casualty attack had occurred in Sokoto State, adding that there was no record of a community known as “Garin Gobir Gindin”.
The Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations at the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, dismissed the report.
“There was no such attack involving the reported mass casualties in the state,” he said.
Similarly, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufa’i, rejected the claim.
“This incident did not occur within Sokoto,” he said.
Checks by security authorities also reportedly found no record of a mass-casualty incident matching the description circulated by Hausaland Magazine.
The report contained a date inconsistency, stating that the alleged attack occurred on Tuesday, October 5, 2026, although October 5 fell on a Monday.
Investigations, however, identified a separate attack in Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Suspected bandits reportedly killed two people and injured another in that incident, which the state police command confirmed.
The security agencies urged the public to exercise caution when sharing unverified reports, particularly claims involving mass casualties and ethnic or religious groups, as such information could fuel tension and spread misinformation.
