Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Armed men on motorcycles have killed at least 50 people and abducted several women and children in a brazen overnight assault on a village in northwestern Zamfara State, according to a local lawmaker and security sources. The attack, which survivors and officials say began late Thursday and continued into the early hours of Friday, once again highlights the deepening insecurity in rural parts of Nigeria’s northwest.
Lawmaker Hamisu A. Faru, representing Bukkuyum South, told the Reuters news agency that the gunmen, who arrived riding motorcycles, struck the community of Tungan Dutse from around 5 p.m. on Thursday and did not withdraw until about 3:30 a.m. on Friday. During the raid, buildings were set ablaze and residents who tried to flee were shot. Faru said the attackers moved from settlement to settlement, leaving at least 50 people dead. Authorities and traditional leaders are still compiling a list of the missing.
Survivors said the scale and coordination of the attack were unprecedented. “They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru told reporters. A resident interviewed on the phone said he lost three members of his family, describing the night as one of terror: “No one slept yesterday; we are all in pain.”
The hitch in rural security became more palpable when residents said they had spotted more than 150 motorcycles carrying armed men a day before the attack and raised the alarm with local authorities. According to some accounts, the warning was not acted upon in time, allowing the attackers to push forward with their assault.
The victims included men, women and children, though the full breakdown of casualties and the number of those abducted remains unclear as local officials continue to account for survivors and the missing. Villagers have described scenes of homes burned to the ground and bodies left in open areas, a grim testament to the ferocity of the raid.
Security forces in the northwestern states of Nigeria have struggled for years to contain armed “bandit” groups that operate with high mobility on motorcycles and small vehicles. These armed bands have frequently carried out mass kidnappings, cattle rustling, raids on villages and attacks on travellers. Responses by military and police units have yielded sporadic successes, but the vast forested terrain and limited resources have continually tested enforcement capacity.
Zamfara State, in particular, has seen some of the most consistent incidents of violence in recent years, leading to large-scale displacement and heightened humanitarian distress. The latest attack compounds an already dire security situation that has displaced thousands and disrupted farming, trade and community life across the region.
Federal and state authorities have faced criticism for the frequency and persistence of such attacks, with calls from civil society, politicians and community leaders for more robust security measures. The federal government has periodically deployed additional troops, intelligence assets and joint task forces to troubled areas, but these measures have yet to significantly stem the tide of violence.
The assault once again underscores the grave challenges facing security operations in rural Nigeria, where the convergence of criminality, weak infrastructure and community vulnerability continues to exact a heavy toll on civilian populations. Efforts to enhance protection of isolated communities and prevent future assaults remain a central concern for policymakers and residents alike.
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