Fear and grief have gripped the residents of Jangebe village in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara State following a brutal attack on Friday by armed gangs locally referred to as bandits. At least nine people have been confirmed dead, and more than 100 others, including women and children, were abducted in one of the region’s deadliest assaults in recent months.
The attack occurred in Talata Mafara district, an area already on edge due to a surge in violent raids by these heavily armed groups. According to Yahaya Yari Abubakar, the district’s political administrator, “Nine people were killed in total, and no fewer than 15 locals were taken from their homes.” However, locals say the actual number of abducted individuals could exceed 100.
Hamisu Faru, a local lawmaker, told Reuters, “As I’m speaking to you right now, they are going house-to-house, abducting people. This is no longer just insecurity; it’s a humanitarian crisis.”
Eyewitnesses and residents paint a harrowing picture of the raid. Abu Zaki, a villager, recounted that the victims included the head of the local vigilante group and five of his colleagues, as well as three other residents. Another resident, Bello Ahmadu, added, “Everybody is now afraid of going to the farm for fear of being attacked. We’re prisoners in our own land.”
The attackers reportedly stormed the community for nearly two hours, laying siege to homes, looting properties, and rounding up captives before disappearing into the vast forest terrain that connects Zamfara to neighbouring Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. Mohammed Usman, another eyewitness, said, “They surrounded the village, and there was nowhere to hide. We could only watch as our people were taken.”
Zamfara has become the epicentre of bandit violence in Nigeria, with communities subjected to repeated raids, mass abductions, and killings. In 2021, the same village, Jangebe, was the site of a mass kidnapping where nearly 300 schoolgirls were seized from a boarding school — a chilling reminder of the long-standing vulnerability of the region.
Authorities have struggled to contain the crisis, which has evolved from farmer-herder conflicts over land and water to a broader insurgency driven by organised criminal networks and arms trafficking. Despite efforts to strengthen security, including the deployment of military troops and the arming of local vigilante residents, protection remains largely inadequate.
Just last month, state-backed vigilantes, in collaboration with Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), launched an offensive in Shinkafi district that killed over 100 gang members. Yet, the retaliatory attacks continue.
Police in Zamfara have not yet commented on the latest incident, but pressure is mounting on state and federal authorities to address what many now describe as a failing security situation in the northwest.
As thousands flee their homes in fear, the need for decisive action becomes more urgent. “We cannot continue like this,” said Faru. “If this isn’t brought under control, whole communities may disappear.”
The attack adds to growing concerns about Nigeria’s internal security, especially as citizens in rural areas become increasingly vulnerable to violence. Without sustained and coordinated responses, both military and humanitarian, the situation in Zamfara risks spiralling further out of control.
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