Claim: A Facebook page, Hausaland Magazine, claimed that residents of Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State had exhumed the bodies of 37 Hausa women allegedly massacred by Fulani militia.
Verdict: Misleading. While credible reports confirm that dozens of people were killed in attacks in Kebbe LGA, they do not support the claim that 37 Hausa women were massacred, buried, and later exhumed. The reports also do not establish that the victims were exclusively women or Hausa, or that a “Fulani militia” carried out the killings.
Full Text
On Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, a Facebook page, Hausaland Magazine, claimed that residents of Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State had exhumed the bodies of 37 Hausa women allegedly massacred by Fulani militia.
The page made the claim in a text post (archived here), with the caption: “Horror in Sokoto: Residents exhume 37 Hausa women’s bodies, masßacred by Fûlani militia in Kebbe LG ©families.”
As of Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, the post had generated 216 likes, 118 comments and 192 shares.
The claim attracted comments from Facebook users, some of whom appeared to interpret the post as evidence of an ethnic massacre and called for retaliatory action.
Kabiru Hamza wrote, “Hausa people, we have to unite ourselves definitely before those bandits kill us all; we have to contribute and defend ourselves.”
Another user, Ikechukwu Onyenacho, questioned how Sharia law could address insecurity in Northern Nigeria, while Moses Eze wrote, “Pick up arms, Hausas; stop waiting waiting.”
The nature of the claim and its potential to provoke inflammatory reactions prompted DUBAWA to investigate.
Verification
DUBAWA first searched for credible media reports to establish whether women were killed, buried, and subsequently exhumed in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The search found credible reports confirming that armed men recently attacked communities in Kebbe LGA and that dozens of people were killed. However, the reports reviewed did not establish that the victims were exclusively women, or that exactly 37 people were killed, or that their bodies were later exhumed.
For instance, Daily Trust, in a report published on Aug. 16, 2026, titled “Bandits invade Sokoto community, kill 32,” reported that at least 32 people were killed in Ungushi community, Kebbe LGA.
According to the report, residents said the attackers invaded the community while residents were observing Jumu’a prayers and subsequently moved through the town, shooting residents.
A resident who witnessed the attack told the newspaper that the attackers returned several times and continued killing residents before security personnel eventually arrived.
The report said residents entered the community on Sunday and began recovering the bodies of the victims.
Daily Trust reported the resident as saying, “Today, some people were conducting funeral prayers for the victims while others were going around looking for more bodies. Eventually, we recovered and buried 32 bodies.”
Daily Trust reported that another resident familiar with the incident told them that residents of Ungushi had confirmed seeing about 30 bodies, although more victims could still be found. The casualty figures therefore varied even within accounts of the attack. Daily Trust ultimately reported the recovery and burial of 32 bodies, rather than 37.
Although this account confirms that bodies were recovered and buried, it contains no information about their subsequent exhumation.
DUBAWA also reviewed a report published by Legit.ng on Aug. 18, 2026, which reported that at least 28 people were killed in Ungushi. The report identified the victims as including the Chief Imam of Ungushi Izala Jumu’at Mosque, Imam Aliyu, as well as farmers, traders and other residents.
The report quoted the Sokoto State Police Command spokesman, DSP Ahmed Rufai, as confirming that no fewer than 28 bodies had been recovered.
Again, there was no reference to 37 women being killed, buried and later exhumed.
Similarly, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Aug. 18, 2026 that at least 28 people were killed in the attack, including Imam Aliyu, the Chief Imam of Ungushi Izala Jumu’at Mosque.
AA described the victims as farmers, traders, religious leaders and other members of the community. The report also made no mention of the alleged exhumation of bodies.
The reports reviewed therefore establish that a deadly attack occurred in Kebbe LGA, but they do not support the specific details contained in the Facebook claim.
There is also a discrepancy in the description of the alleged perpetrators. While Hausaland Magazine described the attackers as a “Fulani militia,” credible reports reviewed referred to them variously as bandits, armed men and terrorist elements allegedly linked to the Lakurawa terrorist organisation.
The available reports establish there was a real attack, but do not reveal that it was carried out by Fulani militia or that the victims were targeted because they were Hausa.
Conclusion
Credible reports confirm that armed men attacked Ungushi and other communities in Kebbe LGA, Sokoto State, killing dozens of residents. However, the reports reviewed do not establish that 37 Hausa women were among the victims or that their bodies were buried and later exhumed. The claim is therefore misleading.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.