Three Children of One Family Killed By Bandits in Night of Terror

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Yesterday evening, armed bandits unleashed a coordinated assault on two farming communities in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing at least twelve people, injuring several others, and setting homes ablaze in a fresh wave of violence that has brought grief and fear to the North-West region. The attackers, riding on motorcycles and armed with AK-47 rifles, first struck Rumbuki village around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, shooting sporadically and chasing down residents as they fled. By the time the gunmen departed, nine people lay dead, and many others were wounded, with several residents still unaccounted for hours after the attack. The assailants then proceeded to Nikai village, also in Bukkuyum LGA, where they killed three children of a prominent local figure before abducting an unspecified number of residents and setting houses on fire. The two coordinated attacks have deepened the sense of abandonment felt by rural communities in Zamfara, where banditry has become a near-daily reality and security forces are often accused of arriving too late or not at all.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of utter chaos and desperation as the gunmen swept through Rumbuki in the late afternoon. “They came shooting into the air and at anyone they saw. People ran in different directions, but many could not escape,” a resident who fled to a neighbouring town told local journalists. The attack was sudden and brutal, with the bandits showing no regard for age or gender. Among the nine killed were elderly farmers and young adults, all caught in the open as they went about their daily activities. The injured were rushed to the General Hospital in Bukkuyum town, where medical staff struggled to cope with the influx of casualties. As night fell over Rumbuki, the village that once hummed with the sounds of children playing and traders bargaining fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the wails of women mourning their dead.

The second leg of the assault targeted Nikai village, where the attackers appeared to have specific victims in mind. According to a source close to the local government area, the bandits killed three children who were the offspring of a well-known resident of the village. The children were reportedly inside their home when the gunmen forced their way in and opened fire. After the killings, the assailants abducted several other residents, loading them onto motorcycles before setting houses ablaze. The number of those taken remains unclear, as families are still trying to account for their missing relatives. “We have not been able to get a full count because many people are still hiding in the bush, afraid to return,” the source said. The attack on Nikai bore the hallmarks of a targeted operation, raising fears that the bandits are now gathering intelligence on specific individuals and communities before striking.

Residents of both villages made frantic distress calls to security agencies as the attacks unfolded, but help never arrived. A source close to the local government area told Impact Nigeria News that the calls went unanswered, and no security personnel were deployed to the area during or immediately after the assault. “The attacks sent shivers to many communities in the local government. Though distress calls were made to security agencies, they allegedly did not respond,” the source said. This pattern of delayed or absent response has become a recurring grievance among rural communities in Zamfara, where the vast expanse of the state and the shortage of security personnel often leave villagers at the mercy of well-armed bandits. Many now rely on local vigilante groups for protection, but these groups are themselves poorly equipped and often outgunned.

The attacks on Rumbuki and Nikai are the latest in a series of deadly incidents that have turned Zamfara into one of Nigeria’s most volatile states. On April 2, bandits killed at least 26 people in Bunkasau village, also in Bukkuyum LGA, prompting a condolence visit from Deputy Governor Mani Malam Mummuni Mudi, who reaffirmed the state government’s non-negotiation policy with bandits. The Deputy Governor announced that the government had approved fifteen million naira in support for the families of victims and those injured. On April 7, gunmen on over 50 motorcycles attacked Yarkatsinan Laka community in Bungudu LGA, killing two police officers and three civilians before police operatives repelled them, neutralizing over 11 of the assailants. The frequency and intensity of these attacks have overwhelmed local security forces and left residents feeling trapped between staying and being killed or fleeing and losing their livelihoods.

The violence has also spilled across state borders. On Monday night, just hours before the Zamfara attacks, bandits raided Gorau town in Goronyo Local Government Area of neighbouring Sokoto State, killing residents, injuring many, and abducting others. Gorau is the ancestral home of a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Bashir Usman Gorau, representing the Gada/Goronyo constituency. The attack underscores the regional nature of the banditry crisis, as criminal groups move freely across state lines, exploiting the lack of coordination among security agencies and the vast, ungoverned spaces that serve as their sanctuaries. The North-West region has become the epicentre of banditry in Nigeria, with thousands killed and hundreds abducted for ransom over the past five years.

For the people of Rumbuki and Nikai, the immediate concern is the fate of the missing. Families are combing the bush, searching for loved ones who may have been taken or who fled in panic and have not yet returned. The injured lie in hospital beds, their futures uncertain. The dead await burial. And the survivors are left to wonder when the next attack will come. “We have been abandoned,” one resident said. “We cry for help, but no one hears us.” As the sun sets on another day of bloodshed in Zamfara, the silence from officialdom is deafening. The state government has yet to issue a statement on the latest attacks, and the police have not provided any update on efforts to rescue the abducted residents or pursue the attackers. For the communities of Bukkuyum LGA, the terror continues, and the hope of lasting peace grows dimmer with each passing day.

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