Armed bandits abducted over 50 residents from Sabon Garin Damri, a village in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, on Friday, marking the first mass kidnapping in Bakura Local Government Area this year, according to a private conflict monitoring report obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP). Security experts warn that this attack signals a shift toward more organized and large-scale abductions in the region.
Zamfara State has long been a hotspot for violent gangs that extort rural communities, impose illegal levies, and kidnap for ransom. What began as disputes between herders and farmers over grazing land has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise, fueled by the proliferation of arms and instability across the Sahel since 2011. These groups, initially focused on cattle rustling, now engage in lucrative crimes like kidnapping and extortion, often targeting farmers and miners in remote areas.
The Zamfara State Police have not yet issued a statement on the latest incident.
The escalating violence has deepened food insecurity and malnutrition, as farmers are forced to abandon their lands. Climate change and declining international aid have further worsened the region’s humanitarian crisis. In a grim reminder of the bandits’ brutality, 33 people kidnapped in February, including three infants, were killed last month despite a $33,700 ransom payment, local residents reported.
The Nigerian military has intensified efforts to curb the violence, with coordinated air and ground operations in neighboring Niger State killing at least 95 armed gang members. However, experts say the armed forces are overstretched, and airstrikes have drawn criticism for causing civilian casualties.
Complicating the crisis, some bandit groups are reportedly forming alliances with jihadist insurgents, including the emerging Lakurawa faction, active in the northwest. In response, some state governments have enlisted local militias—originally formed to combat jihadists in the northeast—to bolster security efforts against the growing bandit threat.
