By Malik Samuel

The ICIR has learnt new details of what led to Monday’s deadly attacks in Bindin community of Maru Local Government Area in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, where gunmen attacked a military base and a mining site, killing dozens.

Eyewitnesses, victims and a community leader told the ICIR that eight soldiers, one policeman and at least 23 miners were killed, highlighting growing security concerns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

There have been conflicting reports of what exactly happened and the casualty figures, with authorities failing to provide details beyond a confirmation of the attacks. Less than 24 hours after the attack, the state governor, Dauda Lawal, jetted off to Ethiopia, drawing criticism from opposition politicians in the state.

A victim who spoke to the ICIR said the attack was directly linked to the presence of the military in the town, as the bandits had previously threatened to attack if the military failed to withdraw. He said the military deployment to the community had deterred bandits from taking control of mining sites and exploiting miners.

Before the military deployment, he said, miners had been forced to work for bandits at gunpoint with little or no compensation. “We were excited when the military came because the bandits were forced to stop coming,” he said.

However, despite the presence of the security forces, bandits continued to extort miners, calling them on the phone to demand payment. According to insiders, some miners initially complied and paid the bandits, but as security improved, miners increasingly grew bolder and resisted the bandits’ demands.

“The miners felt the bandits were no longer a threat because of the presence of the soldiers. Some were afraid that if they continued sending money to the bandits and they were caught, they would be accused of collaborating with bandits,” a small-scale gold dealer in Bindin told the ICIR.

In late 2025, a local gold dealer was abducted from the town, and after three months in captivity, was released in early 2026 after N9 million was paid in cash in addition to a new motorcycle, mobile phone and power bank.

But residents said the bandits had relayed a chilling warning to the community through the gold dealer, threatening to attack if the soldiers were not withdrawn.

Providing insight into the latest attack, a miner who escaped with a gunshot wound to the leg said, “When we heard that the bandits were in our town, some people said we should turn off the stone-crushing machines because they were too noisy, but others said there was no need to stop working. We assumed that since the bandits were in the town, they would not come to the mine because we thought the military would overpower them.

“Before we knew it, they were already at the site, surrounded it and opened fire on people. They also chased after those who ran,” he said.

Another local official said 23 civilians were buried, but the injured miner said more bodies were later recovered after the situation had calmed down.

The ICIR reached out to the Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara State, Abubakar Yazid, who confirmed the incident but referred the reporter to the military, saying Operation Fansan Yamma, the joint task force established to deal with insecurity in northwest Nigeria, is led by the military.

“The personnel involved in the incident are military, and they are under Operation Fansan Yamma. So, normally, whatever happens with the military in their operations, it is their spokesperson that confirms the incident because we don’t know how they want to confirm the incident,” Yazid stated.

Confirming the death of a policeman during the attack, he insisted that despite the operation being a joint operation, the military was the institution to talk to.

When contacted, the Army spokesperson in Zamfara State, Lt Col Aliyu Danja, said he did not want to give a ‘conflicting’ report from what the Deputy Director of Public Relations, 8 Division, Lt Col Olaniyi Osoba, had said.

While also confirming the incident, Lt Col Osoba told the ICIR that the military would not allow the bandits to have a safe place in Bindin.

According to him, “What happened was that there was an attack in Bindin and we are currently conducting an operation in the general area. So, in the course of conducting operations, we cannot release any details until we finish the operation because we don’t want to jeopardise our operational security.”