Several security operatives and civilians have been killed in multiple attacks on communities in Bukkuyum, Maru and Gusau local government areas of Zamfara State in the past one week.
The incidents happened as the state battled repeated attacks by armed groups operating from forests, displacing residents, destroying livelihoods and imposing levies on communities.
The military, operating under Operation Fansan Yamma, has launched offensives against the armed groups, killing some of their members and rescuing dozens of kidnapped victims.
Recently, the Nigerian Army activated three new infantry battalions in Zamfara as part of efforts to strengthen security operations and improve rapid response to threats across the state.
Despite these measures, armed groups have continued to attack communities and travellers across the state.
The latest incident happened on Sunday in Bukkuyum LGA where at least 20 security personnel and civilians were reportedly killed when bandits ambushed traders travelling from Gwashi district to Gurusu market.
A resident said eight security personnel and 12 civilians were killed, while several others sustained injuries in the attack.
He said the security personnel killed comprised five soldiers, two mobile policemen and an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
However, casualty figures provided by residents differed, with another source putting the number of security personnel killed at nine.
The attack reportedly disrupted activities at the Sunday market in Gurusu, leaving traders and residents in fear.
A resident commended the courage of security personnel operating in the area but called on the government to provide them with better equipment to confront the attackers.
“As a matter of urgency, provide bulletproof vehicles to the military at the Anka-Bukkuyum axis. Our soldiers are brave, but they are exposed. How can they fight enemies with superior arms in open Hilux vans?” he asked.
Traders ambushed on Dansadau road
Earlier on Saturday, traders travelling towards Dansadau in Maru LGA were reportedly ambushed by bandits, who set about 12 vehicles ablaze.
A resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred a day after soldiers discovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the road.
He said the discovery apparently led some travellers to believe that the route was safe, prompting them to resume their journey.
He said the convoy came under attack at a section of the road where construction work had yet to begin.
“The bandits attacked them, and people opened the cars and ran for safety. Others were killed, while some survived the attack,” he said.
The resident alleged that the assailants had laid an ambush and set about 12 vehicles on fire.
The incident came after hundreds of commuters were reportedly stranded at Magamin Maitarko for more than eight days, resulting in substantial losses of perishable goods and livestock.
A trader identified as Muhammad Salisu Dansadau lamented what he described as the lack of adequate security support for traders travelling to their communities.
He said prolonged delays had led to the loss of tomatoes, pepper and livestock, while some travellers became ill and others were reduced to begging.
He, however, commended residents of Magamin Maitarko for providing stranded travellers with food, water and shelter.
“We are grateful for the hospitality of the people of Magamin Maitarko. They gave our people food, water and shelter for days, but their supplies have now been exhausted,” he said.
Bandits kill vigilantes at Kaikaice
Also on Saturday, bandits reportedly killed three members of a local vigilante group known as Askarawa and one other person in Damba district on the outskirts of Gusau, while one other member sustained gunshot wounds.
A resident said the vigilantes were attacked at a village called Kaikaiche, near Karazau, after allegedly being tracked by the assailants.
He suspected that informants might have disclosed the vigilantes’ movements to the attackers.
According to him, the group had visited the area to harvest rice the previous day and returned safely before the assailants allegedly laid in ambush for them on their second trip.
The resident alleged that four people were killed, while one survived with gunshot wounds.
He added that residents spent a day and a night searching for one of the missing victims before his body was eventually found around the Yandoto axis.
Attack on mining site
These incidents happened the same week residents of Bindin village in Bungudu LGA claimed that nine soldiers and three mobile policemen were killed when bandits attacked a mining site and a military camp in the area.
A resident, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred last Wednesday.
He blamed the attack on notorious bandit leader Gwaska Dankarami, who reportedly operates around Dangulbi in Maru LGA, Bindin in Bungudu and parts of Bagege in Anka LGA.
According to him, the attack was a reprisal after miners resisted an attempt by one of Dankarami’s men to impose the group’s rules at a gold mining site outside its area of control.
He said the miners killed the bandit, prompting Dankarami and his men to launch an attack on the site.
“Gwaska Dankarami went to the mining site and killed people,” the resident alleged.
He said the mining site was close to Bindin village, forcing people fleeing the attack to seek refuge in the community, where the assailants reportedly pursued them.
“When he attacked the mining site, the people ran to the village for safety, and the bandits followed them,” he said.
The resident said the actual number of casualties remained uncertain because bodies were still being recovered from mining pits and surrounding bushes.
“Nobody can tell the actual number of people killed because some were even killed in the pits. As I speak to you, many bodies are being discovered, and I believe others will still be found either at the mining site or in the bush,” he claimed.
He further alleged that nine soldiers and three mobile policemen were killed when the bandits attacked a security camp in the area.
The resident said it was not the first time Dankarami had attacked a military camp, recalling an alleged attack last year in which two or three soldiers were killed.
The incident, he said, had heightened fear among residents, particularly amid reports that the military was considering relocating its personnel from Bindin to Dangulbi.
“What we are hearing is that the military base is preparing to relocate to Dangulbi village. This has thrown the people into fear and uncertainty over their continued stay in Bindin,” he said.
Efforts by Daily Trust to get comments from the Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Attempts to reach the Acting Army Information Officer at the Joint Task Force North-West Headquarters, 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Gusau, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, were also unsuccessful, as his phone was unreachable.
Troops destroy 3 IEDs
Meanwhile, troops of Operation Fansan Yamma have recovered and neutralised two explosive devices allegedly planted by terrorists along the Magami-Hannutara-Dansadau road in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The operation, according to a statement posted on the social media platforms of the joint task force, said the development followed credible intelligence about the explosive threats to commuters using the road.
It said troops secured the affected area and conducted a search, during which they discovered two locations where the devices had been planted.
“The team destroyed one device and safely recovered and rendered the other harmless, averting a potential tragedy for road users,” the statement said.
The military urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious objects or activities to the nearest security agency.
The Zamfara State Government has also pledged to support security agencies until communities are safer and livelihoods restored.
Briefing journalists last week on the 30th anniversary of the creation of Zamfara State, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Malam Abubakar Nakwada, noted that Zamfara had endured years of banditry, kidnapping and disruption of rural livelihoods.
He said security remained the foundation of the state government’s transformation agenda.
He said the government had continued to provide operational vehicles, armoured platforms, surveillance drones, specialised motorcycles and other logistics to the Armed Forces, police, Department of State Services (DSS), NSCDC and other security agencies operating in the state.
The SSG also said the government established the Community Protection Guards (CPG) to complement conventional security agencies through grassroots intelligence, early warning, knowledge of local terrain and community-level support.
“We recognise that the security challenge is not yet over. Government therefore remains resolute in providing every legitimate support within its capacity until our communities are safer, livelihoods are restored and our people can pursue their daily activities without fear,” he said.