Sokoto: Trump’s missiles hit farmland, three terrorists' camps

 United States of America  President, Donald Trump,

Thursday night made good his threat of striking terrorists in Nigeria after declaring Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. US missile landed in Bargini village in Jabo ward of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto.

High-level security sources told Saturday Vanguard that the US shot about 16 missiles and three terrorists’ camps were hit.

One of the places hit was Bargini in Jabo Ward, Tambuwal LGA  where a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Bashar Jabo, confirmed that an explosion occurred in Jabo town, but said that no casualty was recorded and no house was affected in the incident.

However, the effects of the airstrikes in other locations were uncertain at press time with sources claiming that debris of the airstrikes  dropped in

Offa and caused explosion in Kwara State.

Some places in Tangaza LGA, Sokoto, regarded as an enclave of the Lakurawa terrorists were also said to be  hit.

At Bargini, the explosive reportedly created a deep crater and scorching an estimated 50-metre radius, with clear signs of intense heat and burning still visible hours later. Saturday Vanguard visited the community and spoke with residents, who shared their experiences and confirmed that no casualty was recorded and there was no damage to any building in the village. Reports were unclear on happened in other places of Sokoto, government sources said were hit.

US missile landed in a plain field, no casualty—Ladan Salihu

Claiming that the US missile neither caused any damage nor killed any terrorist, former Director-General of Radio Nigeria, Ladan Salihu, on his X handle said: “I just spoke with Hon Sarkin Yaki Jabo, Member, Sokoto State House of  Assembly, who visited Jabo after the strike at 10:30p.m last night(Thursday). The US strike in Jabo near Tambuwal wasn’t a precision strike. No casualties. Missiles landed in a plain field 300 metres away from a local hospital.

“I am in support of all collaborative efforts to fight terrorists. In 2025 Jabo did not record a single case of terror or ISWAP activity. Not even farmer/herder clash. I expect the attack to hit Turji and other known terrorist masterminds in the North-East. Villagers reported fragments of the missiles near a huge crater. No fatality nor casualty. Was it an attack to grab a headline or to send an inexplicable message?

He concluded: “Defence Headquarters must investigate this and furnish Nigerians with Status Report on the operation. Thank God the missiles did not hit the hospital or homes of innocent Jabo villagers.”

Bargini village lies barely 200 metres from Jabo town and about 75 kilometres south-west of Sokoto metropolis, along a sensitive axis linking Sokoto with parts of Zamfara and Kebbi states. The area borders Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State and the Zuru axis of Kebbi State zones that have, at different times, experienced terrorist activities.

Security personnel cordon bomb scene

When Saturday Vanguard visited the scene at about 10:00am, yesterday, residents of Bargini and neighbouring Jabo town were seen trooping to the site, with many visibly shaken. Security personnel from the Sokoto State Explosive Ordnance Disposal, EOD, Base 15, led by Commandant Hassan Jatau, were also on ground, carefully cordoning off the area and collecting fragments of the exploded device. Anti-bomb squad officers were observed combing the farmland for evidence, ensuring that no secondary explosive device posed further danger to residents.

Residents share their experiences

An eyewitness, Abubakar Jabo Mohammed, a resident of Jabo town and Information Officer of Tambuwal Local Government Area, said the incident occurred at about 10:30pm on Thursday.

He explained that the  explosion caused panic as many residents believed an aircraft had crashed in the vicinity. “Because of the loud noise and the speed at which the burning object descended, many of us thought it was an air crash,” Mohammed said, adding that confusion only cleared when residents cautiously approached the area.

The Sarkin Fulani of the area, Malam Sani Muhammad, stressed that Jabo and Bargini communities have lived peacefully for decades without harbouring terrorists or bandits. He recalled only an isolated kidnap incident in 2000, insisting that no similar security breach had occurred since then, making the bombardment deeply troubling to locals.