Zamfara Under Siege: 144 Kidnapped, 24 Killed in One Week of Bloodshed

Zamfara is reeling under a relentless wave of violence as armed groups tighten their grip on rural communities, abducting 144 re...

Zamfara is reeling under a relentless wave of violence as armed groups tighten their grip on rural communities, abducting 144 residents, killing 24, and injuring 16 others in just seven days, according to a grim situational report by the Zamfara Circle Community Initiative.

Between August 4 and 10, 2025, 15 villages in Bakura, Tsafe, Mafara, Gummi, and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas were overrun in brazen attacks that underscore the state’s deepening security collapse.

Communities Turned Into Killing Fields

The bloodshed cut across multiple districts:

Bakura LGA: Sabe, Tungar Yamma, Sataru, Lambasu, Dogon Madacci, Dankalgo, and Kwanar Kalgo.

Tsafe LGA: Chediya, Kucheri, Yankuzo, Katangar Gabas Bilbils.

Mafara LGA: Tabkin Rama, Matsafa, Ruwan Gizo.

Gummi LGA: Rafin Jema.

Bukkuyum LGA: Adabka, Masu.

Survivors recount night raids by heavily armed gunmen, indiscriminate shooting, house burnings, and mass abductions. In many cases, attackers looted food supplies and livestock before disappearing into the forests.

A Failing Security Architecture

Local leaders accuse both state and federal authorities of negligence, citing repeated warnings and earlier attacks that went unaddressed.

"We have been abandoned. These killers move freely, and yet we see no serious action from those in power,” lamented a community elder from Tsafe.

Despite multiple military operations announced in recent years, rural Zamfara remains at the mercy of organised armed groups that appear to operate with impunity, often outgunning local security personnel.

Calls for Urgent Action

Civil society groups are demanding an emergency security summit, deployment of more troops to vulnerable areas, and a coordinated rescue operation for those kidnapped.

The Zamfara Circle warns that unless decisive measures are taken, the state risks sliding into a full-blown humanitarian disaster, with more villages being emptied by violence and fear.