Skip to main content Skip to footer 
Tensions flared in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Thursday as youths from the Gatawa community took to the streets to protest the killing of their traditional ruler, Isa Muhammad Bawa, by suspected bandits. The district head was reportedly killed on Wednesday, even before a ransom could be delivered.
The tragic event was confirmed by Aminu Boza, the lawmaker representing Sabon Birni North in the Sokoto State House of Assembly. He revealed that a team dispatched to deliver a ransom of N60 million and five motorcycles was informed of the district head’s death upon their arrival. “Yes, I can confirm to you that he is dead; they have killed him,” Boza said. “Even those who went there to deliver the ransom couldn’t meet him alive; they only came back with his son, who was abducted together with him.”
Following the funeral prayer for the late monarch held in Gatawa town on Thursday, angry youths within the community launched a protest, chanting anti-government slogans. They accused the state government of failing to secure the traditional ruler’s safe return and alleged that local political leaders intentionally allowed him to suffer at the hands of the kidnappers before his death.
The situation prompted a response from the Sokoto State Police Command. The command’s spokesman, ASP Ahmed Rufai, stated that the police had anticipated the protests and had deployed tactical teams from neighboring local governments to prevent the situation from escalating into a crisis. “We are already taking control of the protests to ensure they don’t lead to a crisis,” Rufai assured.
The late district head had previously appeared in a 59-second video released by the bandits, pleading for his life and urging the state government, friends, and well-wishers to intervene. “I have been appealing to the government to help me but they didn’t, and I am their worker,” the 74-year-old monarch had said in the video. “I am 74 years old today, and I have been working for the government for about 45 years now and it’s all about traditional institutions.”
