BY GODWIN OBI
Zamfara State was plunged into mourning on Friday after bandits reportedly killed dozens of residents in Dutsin Dan Ajiya village, located in Anka Local Government Area.
Residents said the heavily armed attackers stormed the community late Thursday, firing indiscriminately and blocking escape routes. Eyewitness accounts indicated that no fewer than 30 people were initially confirmed dead, while several others sustained gunshot wounds and many remained unaccounted for.
A villager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the assault as prolonged and coordinated.
“After blocking all the roads, the bandits started shooting at sight. Villagers ran helter-skelter. When the attack subsided, we counted about 30 bodies. Many others were wounded, and several people are still missing,” he said.
Videos circulating online showed bodies wrapped in white cloth ahead of a mass burial.
While local sources gave varying casualty figures, Reuters quoted a lawmaker representing Bukkuyum South, Hamisu Faru, as saying at least 50 people were killed. According to the report, the attackers raided the village from about 5:00 p.m. on Thursday until around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, burning buildings and shooting fleeing residents.
“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” the lawmaker said.
A 41-year-old resident, Abdullahi Sani, said three of his family members were killed.
“No one slept yesterday. We are all in pain,” he lamented.
Sani further alleged that villagers alerted security agencies and local authorities after sighting more than 150 motorcycles conveying the attackers but received no response.
Efforts to reach the police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages were not answered as of press time. An aide to the governor also promised to respond but had yet to do so.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after the Zamfara State Government donated Armoured Personnel Carriers and a drone to security agencies to bolster the fight against banditry.
Receiving the equipment, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, had urged troops of the Nigerian Army to intensify operations against bandits and terrorists who refuse to surrender.
Zamfara remains one of the North-West states hardest hit by persistent bandit attacks despite ongoing military offensives.
The Zamfara killings add to a growing list of deadly incidents across the region. On Wednesday, gunmen suspected to be Lakurawa terrorists reportedly killed at least 33 residents in Bui District, Arewa LGA of Kebbi State.
Earlier, Lakurawa fighters attacked Maganho community in Tangaza LGA of Sokoto State, killing five people and rustling livestock. In Katsina State, bandits killed 21 residents in Doma town, Faskari LGA, shattering a six-month non-aggression pact.
Reacting to the Zamfara tragedy, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, rejected suggestions that the violence represents a resurgence.
“I do not think it is a resurgence; it is the continuation of existing insecurity,” he said.
Hamzat argued that Nigeria’s security architecture remains overstretched and largely reactive.
“Our security approach has been about responding after incidents occur. Before forces conclude an operation in one location, they are redeployed elsewhere, leaving gaps,” he noted.
He advocated decentralisation of policing, insisting that state and local police structures are necessary to provide sustained, community-based security.
“Without a permanent local presence that understands the terrain, the cycle of killings will persist,” he added.
Security analyst Akin Adeyi urged the Federal Government and the military to adopt a more aggressive posture.
“It is not enough to sit back and repel attacks. The time has come for offensive operations. Anywhere they gather, security forces must act swiftly,” Adeyi said.
He also argued that authorities should have anticipated the fallout from the December 25, 2025 U.S. strike on bandit enclaves, warning that it could scatter fighters into new territories.
“The government should have mobilised civil defence, mobile police, and paramilitary units to contain them,” he said.
Adeyi stressed that intelligence-led, pre-emptive strikes would be critical to curbing further bloodshed.
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