Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
GUSAU, Nigeria – Residents of Lugga, Gwabro and Gwammanan communities in Zamfara State are still counting their dead on the morning of June 8, 2026, a day after suspected bandits attacked farmers who were clearing and preparing their farmlands for the 2026 wet season. Multiple sources told journalists that the attackers arrived in large numbers on motorcycles, firing indiscriminately at those working in the fields, killing an unconfirmed number and leaving several others with gunshot wounds.
The incident, which occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, June 6, is the latest in a series of targeted assaults on rural agrarian communities across the North‑West, where bandits have increasingly turned their attention to food production itself. Beyond the tragic loss of lives, continued attacks on farmers threaten food production, livelihoods and economic stability. If insecurity keeps farmers away from their fields, Nigerians could face reduced harvests, rising food prices, increased hunger and deeper poverty in both rural and urban communities.
The assault in Lugga, Gwabro and Gwammanan comes just two days after a similar attack in Gidan Danjumma village of Birnin Magaji Local Government Area, where bandits killed nine farmers who had defied a warning not to work on their farms for the 2026 wet season. According to Citizenship Daily, the attackers surrounded the farmlands and rained gunshots sporadically, shouting “noma haram” – meaning farming is prohibited. A local source told the publication that the bandits had earlier sent a warning that inhabitants should not dare work on their farm lands. “Whoever defy our directive should consider himself dead, his wife widowed and his children would become orphans,” the source quoted the attackers as saying. Troops of the Nigerian Army, police personnel, NSCDC corps and state‑owned Community Protection Guards have since been deployed to Gidan Danjumma.
The pattern of attacking farmers at the start of the planting season is not new in Zamfara, but security analysts say it has become more systematic and deadly. Armed banditry in the state has evolved from cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom into a deliberate strategy of rural siege. In the affected communities, bandits do not simply raid and leave; they impose “harvest taxes,” demand payments in cash or produce before allowing farmers to access their fields, confiscate land, burn farmlands and, as seen on Saturday, attack those who dare to plant. This year alone, several reports have documented how armed groups have effectively outlawed farming across large swathes of the state, turning fertile agricultural land into no‑go zones.
The implications extend far beyond Zamfara. The state is a major producer of maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts and beans, supplying food to markets across northern Nigeria and beyond. When farmers are killed or forced to abandon their fields, the entire national food supply chain is disrupted. The federal government has previously warned that the killings in Zamfara would affect food security, but the warning has done little to halt the violence. The Nigeria Police Command in Zamfara had earlier promised to deploy special tactical operations to protect farmers during the 2026 farming season, but the attacks in Lugga, Gwabro, Gwammanan and Gidan Danjumma suggest that the assurances have not translated into safety on the ground.
The Northwest Youths Unity Forum (NYUF) has issued a 30‑day ultimatum to the federal government to end the spate of killings, kidnappings and forced displacement across the Northwest region. In a communiqué signed by chairman Murtala Ishaqa Jangebe, the forum warned that it would resort to all lawful means to demand accountability if the situation persists. The group lamented that hundreds of communities have been deserted, forcing residents to take refuge in state capitals and local government headquarters across the region. Major roads linking Northwest states have become unsafe for travellers, while many rural settlements have turned into “uninhabitable zones” due to sustained attacks.
The Zamfara State Government has yet to issue an official statement on the June 6 attacks. The Police Public Relations Officer could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report. Residents of the affected communities said search efforts were still ongoing for missing persons, and many fear the death toll may rise as wounded victims succumb to their injuries in the bush or on the way to distant health facilities.
How can a nation guarantee food security when those responsible for producing its food cannot safely access their farms? The answer, for now, remains buried under the weight of unanswered questions and unburied bodies in the fields of Lugga, Gwabro and Gwammanan.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments