Reports indicate that numerous women and children were taken captive during a violent incident in northwestern Zamfara State.
The assault occurred on Friday in Zamfara state, a area frequently targeted by heavily armed groups known as bandits who have caused widespread terror across Nigeria’s northwest in recent years. They have been responsible for the kidnapping of thousands, the murder of hundreds, and have made traveling by road a dangerous endeavor.
Hamisu Faru, a local legislator, confirmed the incident to Reuters, stating that the attackers captured “not less than 100 individuals, including women and children”.
“As I speak to you, they’re conducting house-to-house searches, seizing people,” Faru stated over the phone.
Yahaya Yari Abubakar, the political administrator of Talata Mafara district where the attack happened, informed AFP that a total of nine people were killed and at least 15 locals were abducted.
Abu Zaki, a Jangebe village local, reported that the victims included the head of the village’s self-defense group and his five members, as well as three other residents.
“Everyone is now scared to go to their farms out of fear of being attacked,” added another local, Bello Ahmadu, who confirmed the death toll.
Jangebe village witnessed a major abduction in 2021 when nearly 300 female students were taken from a boarding school; they were released after authorities paid a ransom.
Mohammed Usman, another area resident, told Reuters that the assailants besieged the town for almost two hours before capturing their victims. Thousands of locals have now fled the village.
The Zamfara police did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Nigeria’s armed groups maintain bases in a large forest area spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. The conflict, which initially stemmed from disputes over land and resources between herders and farmers, has evolved into a larger conflict exacerbated by arms trafficking.
The Zamfara state government has enlisted the help of vigilantes and armed militias to aid the military in fighting these bandits.
Last month, vigilantes, with the assistance of Nigeria’s secret police, killed approximately 100 individuals when they raided the hideout of a gang leader in the state’s Shinkafi district, according to officials.
