ATLEAST 50 people were abducted on Wednesday, November 6, by bandits in Wanke and Gurusu villages in Gusau and Gummi Local Government Areas, Zamfara State.
According to locals who spoke to Daily Trust, some of the victims were taken while working on their farms, with others abducted along the Anka-Gurusu road in Anka Local Government Area.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the heavily armed bandits invaded farms, abducting unsuspecting villagers at gunpoint.
According to the report, affected villages, including Kucheri, Kwalfada, and Magazawa, face specific levies ranging from N7 million to N20 million each. The levies reportedly coincide with the harvest season, when bandits anticipate villagers will have the resources to pay.
Attempts by The ICIR to reach the Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, for a comment on the incident proved abortive, as calls to his line were picked up by a third party who stated that the PRO was in a meeting at the time of press.
Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Bala Muhammad Mairiga, confirmed the abduction in Wanke village to Daily Trust.
He, however, stated that he could not ascertain the exact number of people abducted, as no official report has been received from security agencies or the traditional institution.
“On the issue of levy, sincerely speaking, we have not received any complaint from the affected villages. Nevertheless, we will investigate the matter and see what we can do about it. Zamfara State government will not fold its arms and allow the bandits to extort people.
“Governor Dauda Lawal-led administration is doing its best to tackle banditry and will continue to do everything possible within its power to end the menace,” he said.
Insecurity in Zamfara
The ICIR reports that Zamfara State has faced security challenges over the years, ranging from insurgent attacks to banditry. Many communities across about 14 LGAs have been displaced, with residents of Maru, Anka, Shinkafi, Maradun, Zurmi, Gusau, and Bungudu LGAs being the worst affected.
Kidnapping in the country has become an industry where abductors demand money from families and communities before releasing abductees. This is prominent in Zamfara, which has recorded a plethora of cases of school children and other kidnappings.
According to data analysed by The ICIR, 2,336 people were killed in various violent attacks in the first three months of 2024 across Nigeria, with Zamfara state topping the list.
This is an approximate average of 26 persons killed daily between January 2024 and the end of March 2024.
The ICIR gathered the data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a data bureau that collects real-time data on the locations, dates, actors, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events worldwide.
The deaths were connected to 1,395 incidents reported to have taken place in the country within the period.
According to the data, the states with the highest killings within the first quarter are Zamfara (439 deaths), Borno (437 deaths), Kastina (362 deaths) and Benue (221 deaths).
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M