By Bose
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Zamfara State was thrown into mourning on Friday after armed bandits reportedly killed no fewer than 50 residents of Dutsin Dan Ajiya village in Anka Local Government Area.
Bodies of the victims, wrapped in white shrouds, were lined up for mass burial in a video sighted by The PUNCH.
Residents said the attackers, wielding sophisticated weapons, stormed the community on Thursday night and unleashed hours of terror.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the gunmen sealed off all access roads to prevent villagers from fleeing before opening fire indiscriminately.
“After blocking all the roads, the bandits started to shoot at sight and the villagers ran helter-skelter,” he said.
“After the attack, we realised that 30 people were killed; some were wounded, while several others are at large and nobody knows their whereabouts.”
However, Reuters quoted a lawmaker representing Bukkuyum South, Hamisu Faru, as saying at least 50 people were killed.
According to Faru, the attackers invaded the village around 5 p.m. on Thursday and continued the onslaught until about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, burning buildings and shooting residents attempting to escape.
“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru said.
A 41-year-old resident, Abdullahi Sani, disclosed that three members of his family were killed.
“No one slept yesterday, we are all in pain,” he lamented.
Sani added that villagers had alerted security operatives and local authorities after spotting over 150 motorcycles conveying the gunmen, but claimed no help came.
Efforts to reach the Zamfara State Police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages went unanswered as of press time.
An aide to the governor also promised to respond but had yet to do so when this report was filed.
The attack occurred barely 24 hours after the Zamfara State Government donated Armoured Personnel Carriers and a drone to security agencies to intensify the fight against banditry.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa (rtd), who received the equipment, had urged troops to take decisive action against bandits who refused to surrender.
Zamfara remains one of several North-West states grappling with relentless bandit attacks despite sustained military operations.
On Wednesday, suspected Lakurawa terrorists reportedly killed 33 residents in Kebbi State, while five persons were slain in Sokoto State on February 13. In Katsina, 21 residents were killed earlier this month in Faskari Local Government Area.
Reacting to the latest killings, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, dismissed suggestions that the violence represents a resurgence.
Speaking with The PUNCH, he described the attack as a continuation of an entrenched security crisis.
“I do not think it is a resurgence; it is just the continuation of existing insecurity,” he said.
Hamzat criticised the country’s security framework as reactive and overstretched.
“Our security approach has always been about responding to situations as they happen. The security has been overstretched; before they effectively complete an operation in one location, they’re deployed to other places with more pressing demands.”
He called for the decentralisation of policing, insisting that state and local police structures were critical to tackling insecurity in remote communities.
“Without a permanent, localised security presence that understands the terrain and maintains constant vigil, the cycle of killings will continue,” he warned.
Another security expert, Akin Adeyi, urged the Federal Government to abandon defensive tactics and adopt a more aggressive posture against bandits.
He linked the spread of attacks to the December 25, 2025 US strike on bandit camps, which he claimed forced the criminals to disperse into new territories.
“It is terrible that we are having this kind of situation, and that we are not prepared for it is a minus for the government,” Adeyi said.
“It is not that they will just go and sit and rely on repelling attacks. No, it is time for them to be on the offensive now. Anywhere, anytime they gather or receive information about their decision, let them not wait until they attack.”
