LAGOS (Reuters) -Gunmen killed at least two people and abducted over 100, mostly women and children, in an attack on Nigeria’s Zamfara State, local officials and community leaders said.
Zamfara is the epicentre of attacks by armed men, known locally as bandits, in northwest Nigeria, where gunmen have made travel and farming dangerous. Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were abducted, according to SBM Intelligence.
The attackers stormed the village of Gamdum Mallam in Adafka, Bukkuyum, around midday on Saturday, riding dozens of motorbikes and firing indiscriminately, according to village head Muhammadu Mai Anguwa. “They killed and kidnapped many women and children, and took them towards Makakari forest,” he told Reuters.
Huzaifa Isa, a resident of Gamdum Mallam, said the assailants split into two groups. “One group was kidnapping people and livestock, while the other set up a roadblock at Adafka’s main entrance, shooting at anyone who tried to pass,” he said. “We were being treated like slaves in our own land, as if there is no government.”
Local lawmaker Hamisu Faru confirmed the incident by phone. “At least 100 people have been abducted since Saturday morning,” Faru said. “The bandits attacked Nasarawa Burkullum under heavy rain, crossed the river into nearby villages, and abducted 46 more people in Ruwan Rana village.”
Residents say they fear further attacks as the armed group is reportedly attempting to cross into the forest boundary again.
Zamfara police didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments.
(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi, Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; editing by Diane Craft)
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