Agencies | Abuja:
At least 20 people were killed after heavily armed bandits attacked several villages in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State on Wednesday, according to local officials.
Nasiru Lauwali, the representative of the Sauna district in the Talata Mafara Local Government Area, said the attackers stormed the communities between 3 pm and 4 pm as per Nigerian local time, targeting residents indiscriminately.
“Between 3 pm and 4 pm as per Nigerian time, a large number of bandits invaded our communities, targeting all the people they met,” Lauwali said.
The latest attack comes amid a surge in violence across northwestern and central Nigeria, where armed criminal gangs—commonly referred to locally as bandits—have repeatedly raided villages, stolen livestock and abducted residents for ransom.
In a separate operation late Tuesday, security forces in Kwara State killed at least three suspected bandits and rescued a kidnapped businessman, identified as Tuhkur Sanni, according to local media reports.
Kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common in Nigeria, with criminal groups targeting civilians, students and travellers. The country’s security challenges have been compounded by the long-running Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, stretching security resources across multiple regions.
According to SBM Intelligence, armed groups collected more than $1.6 million in ransom payments during 2024, highlighting the growing scale of the kidnapping economy.
Earlier this month, dozens of students and teachers were rescued 56 days after being abducted from three schools in the southwestern state of Oyo. Nigerian authorities said eight suspected kidnappers were arrested during the operation, while an unspecified number were killed.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed the rescue in an official statement, while Defence Minister Christopher Musa said investigators believe the kidnappers intended to use the hostages to pressure the government into releasing some of their imprisoned commanders.
