Grief and tension have engulfed Darusa, a Nigeria–Niger border community in Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State, after suspected Lakurawa gunmen attacked the area’s weekly market, killing two Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and escaping with what residents described as substantial sums of money in both naira and foreign currencies.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed the market on four motorcycles, with two armed men on each bike, firing shots to scatter traders and shoppers before heading straight for the currency exchange spot. According to locals, the gunmen shot the operators at close range without provocation and quickly gathered cash from their businesses before fleeing toward the border axis.
The victims were identified as Alhaji Ummaru Darusa and Muhammad Sani, both described by community members as well-known exchange operators who serviced traders from Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic, where Darusa market also draws customers because of its strategic location and cross-border commerce. Residents said Sani was a Nigerien who held trading recognition in Niger but regularly conducted business in Darusa.
A community source told reporters that the attackers appeared to have “studied” the market routine and may have been monitoring one of the operators, striking when they believed large volumes of cash would be available. “They killed Alhaji Ummaru and Muhammad Sani on the spot, then took all the money they were using for their business and disappeared,” one resident said.
Confirming the incident, Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer Ahmad Rufa’i said the attack occurred on Thursday. He said one victim died instantly, while the second later succumbed to injuries after being taken to Dogon Daji Hospital. Police said a response was activated and inquiries were ongoing to identify and pursue the perpetrators.
The attack has renewed complaints from residents about limited security presence around rural border communities, with locals urging stronger patrols and rapid-response coverage to protect lives and commerce. Community members also warned that repeated raids risk crippling trading activity at Darusa, a hub for informal cross-border exchange that supports livelihoods on both sides of the frontier.
Lakurawa-linked violence has been repeatedly reported across parts of Gudu and neighbouring Tangaza LGAs, feeding broader concerns about border security and the vulnerability of markets and informal financial operators in Nigeria’s northwest.
