Sokoto Graduates 1,550 Marshals, Includes First Female Operatives

Sokoto State has successfully completed the passing-out ceremony for 1,550 newly trained operatives of the Sokoto State Marshals Agency (SOSMA), with Governor Ahmed Aliyu describing the initiative as a critical step to strengthen public safety and generate employment opportunities across the state. The event, held at Giginya Memorial Stadium in Sokoto, represented a milestone for the agency with the graduation of its first cohort of female cadets—numbering 70 personnel—signalling an expansion in the composition of the state's grassroots security workforce.

The ceremony drew high-profile attendance, including Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji as Special Guest of Honour, alongside the Sultan of Sokoto and other government officials. According to reports, this was the second batch of marshals to be graduated by the state government, with recruits trained across multiple specialised categories including environmental security, intelligence operations, and traffic management.

The inclusion of female operatives represents a deliberate shift towards gender representation within Sokoto's local security architecture. Female cadets make up approximately 4.5 per cent of the graduating class, a modest but notable proportion in a security force traditionally dominated by male personnel in northern Nigeria.

Governor Aliyu framed the Marshal Corps expansion as part of a broader strategy to address insecurity while creating pathways for youth employment in the state. The operatives are expected to be deployed across different zones and communities in Sokoto to bolster community-based policing efforts.

The agency categorises its personnel into four distinct operational divisions, each trained according to their assigned security function.