…Zamfara State House of Assembly member, Hamisu Faru, told the newsmen that the attackers operated from about 5 p.m. on Thursday until 3:30 a.m. Friday
ZAMFARA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Zamfara State was plunged into grief on Friday after bandits reportedly killed at least 50 residents of Dutsin Dan Ajiya village in Anka Local Government Area.
Videos obtained by The iNews Times showed the bodies of victims wrapped in white cloth ahead of a mass burial.
A resident, who requested anonymity, said the heavily armed attackers stormed the village on Thursday night, firing indiscriminately. According to him, the gunmen first sealed off all access routes to prevent residents from escaping.
“After blocking the roads, they began shooting at anyone in sight, and people fled in different directions,” he said. “When it was over, we counted about 30 bodies. Several others were injured, and many are still missing.”
Sources said the assault lasted into the early hours of Friday, with several residents abducted. However, Reuters reported that the death toll had risen to at least 50.
A member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly representing Bukkuyum South, Hamisu Faru, told the news agency that the attackers operated from about 5 p.m. on Thursday until 3:30 a.m. Friday, torching homes and shooting those attempting to escape.
“They moved from one village to another, leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru said.
Another resident, 41-year-old Abdullahi Sani, said three members of his family were among those killed. “No one slept last night; we are devastated,” he lamented.
Sani added that villagers alerted security agencies and local authorities after spotting more than 150 motorcycles conveying the assailants, but no assistance came.
Efforts to reach Zamfara state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages as of press time. An aide to the governor also promised to comment but had yet to do so.
The attack occurred barely a day after the Zamfara State Government handed over Armoured Personnel Carriers and a drone to security forces to bolster the fight against banditry. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), who received the equipment, had urged troops to take decisive action against bandits and terrorists who refuse to surrender.
Zamfara remains one of the North-West states grappling with persistent banditry despite ongoing military operations.
On Wednesday, 33 residents were reportedly killed in Bui District, Arewa LGA of Kebbi State during an attack by Lakurawa terrorists allegedly attempting to rustle cattle. In Sokoto State, the same group attacked Maganho community in Tangaza LGA on February 13, 2026, killing five people and carting away livestock. Earlier, on February 3, bandits killed 21 residents in Doma town, Faskari LGA of Katsina State, shattering a six-month peace deal previously reached with the gunmen.
‘Not a resurgence’
Reacting to the incident, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, argued that the killings do not signal a resurgence but rather a continuation of longstanding insecurity.
He described Nigeria’s security structure as reactive and overstretched, noting that troops are frequently redeployed from one flashpoint to another, leaving previously secured communities vulnerable.
“Our strategy has largely been reactive instead of preventive,” he said. “Security forces are overstretched and often moved before fully stabilising an area.”
Hamzat advocated decentralising policing, insisting that the creation of state and local police forces is essential to provide sustained, community-based security capable of deterring bandits in remote areas.
Similarly, security analyst Akin Adeyi called for a shift to offensive operations against armed groups. He argued that authorities should have anticipated the fallout from the December 25, 2025 U.S. strike on bandits, which he believes forced them to disperse and launch attacks in previously calm areas.
“The government should have mobilised all paramilitary agencies to contain them as they scattered,” Adeyi said. “Security forces must go on the offensive and act on intelligence promptly instead of waiting to repel attacks.”
