Armed bandits killed a man and abducted 18 people, mostly women and children, during a pre-dawn raid on a village in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara State, local sources confirmed on Saturday.
The attackers, believed to be part of kidnapping and cattle-rustling gangs, stormed the village of Birnin Zaruma at around 5 a.m. on Friday as residents prepared for dawn prayers.
According to witnesses, the assailants shot a farmer dead, injured his wife, and dragged 18 women and children from their homes before fleeing into nearby forests.
“They attacked at about five in the morning while people were getting ready for prayers,” said Ibrahim Bello, a resident. “They broke into a house, killed a man, wounded his wife, and then took 18 women and children away.”
Another local, Lawal Umar from the nearby town of Bukkuyum, confirmed the assault, saying the gunmen are believed to be operating from a camp in neighboring Anka. He noted that security forces stationed in Bukkuyum were unable to intervene due to flooding of the river that separates the two areas.
Zamfara is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria plagued by violent attacks from armed gangs, commonly referred to as “bandits,” who raid villages, loot livestock, and carry out mass abductions for ransom.
Residents of Birnin Zaruma, located about 170 kilometers from Zamfara’s capital Gusau, said they are waiting for the kidnappers’ ransom demands.
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