Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Several rural communities under Mada town in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State are reeling from a night of coordinated attacks by armed bandits, an assault residents say was triggered by their inability to meet crushing extortion demands that have become a grim feature of daily life. The raids, carried out late at night, left homes in ashes, livelihoods shattered and entire families fleeing into uncertainty, deepening a humanitarian crisis that has steadily tightened its grip on northern Nigeria’s countryside.
Survivors describe a pattern that has become disturbingly familiar. Armed groups had issued clear demands ahead of the farming season, insisting that villagers pay before they could plant their crops. As harvest time approached, the same communities were ordered to pay again, this time in larger sums. For many farmers in Mada and its surrounding settlements, the demands ran into millions of naira, figures that were simply unattainable in a year marked by poor yields and acute shortages of fertilizer. When the deadlines passed without payment, the response was swift and violent.
According to residents, the attackers struck multiple villages almost simultaneously, suggesting careful planning and local intelligence. Gunshots echoed through the night as bandits moved from one settlement to another, torching houses and forcing people to flee under cover of darkness. Elderly residents, women and children ran into nearby bushes and open fields with little more than the clothes they were wearing, while others sought refuge in neighbouring communities already stretched by previous waves of displacement.
For farming families, the destruction goes beyond the loss of shelter. Burned homes often double as storage spaces for harvested grains, seeds and basic tools. When they go up in flames, years of effort are erased in minutes. Livestock, another critical source of income and food, is frequently stolen during such raids, leaving survivors without the means to rebuild. In Mada’s eastern and northern corridors, entire communities are now paralysed by fear, uncertain whether to return to their farms or abandon them altogether.
What unfolded in Gusau LGA reflects a broader and more entrenched system of exploitation that has taken root across parts of Zamfara and neighbouring states. Bandit groups no longer rely solely on cattle rustling or opportunistic raids. Instead, they operate what many locals describe as an informal taxation system, enforcing payments with brutal efficiency. The demands are calibrated to the agricultural calendar, ensuring that even subsistence farmers are squeezed at their most vulnerable moments.
This year’s agricultural challenges have made compliance nearly impossible. Fertilizer scarcity and rising costs have reduced yields, while inflation has eroded household savings. For families already living on the margins, the choice is stark: pay extortion fees and sink deeper into poverty, or refuse and risk violent reprisals. In Mada, many chose resistance by necessity rather than defiance, and the consequences were devastating.
Community leaders and residents say the attacks underscore the near-total absence of effective governance and security in rural areas. While state and federal authorities have repeatedly pledged to restore peace to Zamfara, villagers argue that security patrols are rare and often confined to major roads and urban centres. Remote farming settlements, where most of the population lives and works, remain exposed. This vacuum, they say, has allowed armed groups to entrench themselves as de facto authorities, issuing orders, collecting levies and punishing non-compliance.
The human cost of this neglect is mounting. Displacement disrupts education as schools are abandoned or destroyed, and children forced to flee miss months or even years of learning. Health risks increase as families crowd into makeshift shelters without clean water or sanitation. Psychological trauma lingers long after the gunfire fades, particularly among children who witness violence firsthand. For many in Mada, the sense of abandonment is as painful as the material losses.
Local voices are increasingly framing the crisis not merely as a security failure but as a question of justice and equity. Rural communities, they argue, continue to bear the brunt of violence despite contributing significantly to the nation’s food supply. When farmers are driven off their land or forced to pay illegal levies, the consequences ripple far beyond Zamfara, threatening food security and economic stability on a wider scale.
In recent years, Zamfara has become emblematic of Nigeria’s struggle to protect its rural heartlands. Despite military operations and peace initiatives, banditry has adapted and, in some cases, intensified. The attacks in Mada highlight how deeply embedded extortion has become, evolving into a parallel system that thrives where state authority is weakest. Each successful raid reinforces the power of armed groups and sends a chilling message to neighbouring communities.
As families count their losses and weigh their next move, questions about accountability and long-term solutions grow louder. Residents want more than temporary deployments or reactive measures after attacks have already occurred. They are calling for sustained security presence, meaningful engagement with local communities, and economic support that can help farmers recover without falling prey to extortion networks.
For now, fear hangs over Mada and its surrounding villages. Fields that should be buzzing with activity lie quiet, and nights are spent listening for distant gunshots rather than resting for the next day’s work. The recent attacks have laid bare a harsh reality: for many rural Nigerians, survival is negotiated not with the state meant to protect them, but with armed groups that exploit their vulnerability.
Until that imbalance is addressed, communities like those in Gusau LGA will continue to face an impossible question, one echoed quietly among displaced families and burned-out homes: how long will they be forced to pay the price for neglect they did not create?
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments