Hobnob News — A fresh wave of violence swept through parts of Kebbi and Zamfara states on Saturday as armed bandits launched coordinated attacks that left dozens dead, injured, and abducted—rekindling fears of deepening insecurity in Nigeria’s northwest region.
In Waje village, located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, 15 farmers were reportedly killed when gunmen on motorcycles stormed the area around nightfall, opening fire on workers as they departed their fields. Three others were injured in the brutal onslaught.
Eyewitness Malam Abdullahi told Hobnob News that the attackers arrived in large numbers, armed with sophisticated weapons, and began shooting indiscriminately. “They rode in on motorcycles just as the farmers were leaving their fields. It was chaos—gunshots everywhere.”
While the Kebbi State Police Command, through spokesperson CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed 10 fatalities and three injured persons, the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Umar Abubakar Tafida, who visited the community on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, confirmed that 15 people were killed. He condemned the attack as senseless and announced a N24 million relief donation to victims’ families.
In a separate tragedy, Kaura-Namoda town, the headquarters of Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area in Zamfara State, came under siege around 2 a.m. Saturday. Armed bandits, again on motorcycles, killed four women and abducted 20 residents, mainly women and children.
Survivor Abdullahi Mohammed recounted the harrowing ordeal to Hobnob News, saying the attackers operated house-to-house for over three hours without any intervention from security agencies. “They came in while we were asleep. When some women refused to follow them into the forest, they shot them. Everyone ran for safety.”
Mohammed further revealed that the attackers initially selected 24 victims but killed four who resisted. The situation mirrors claims by Federal Lawmaker Aminu Sani Jaji, who recently warned that over 3,000 people have been abducted across Kaura-Namoda/Birnin-Magaji constituency alone, with bandits effectively controlling large swathes of the region.
Last week, hundreds of residents protested in Kaura-Namoda, expressing frustration over escalating insecurity and government inaction.
Attempts by Hobnob News to reach Zamfara Police spokesperson DSP Yazid Abubakar and Local Government Chairman Mannir Haidara were unsuccessful, as neither responded to calls or messages.
These twin attacks underscore the deteriorating state of security in the northwest, where banditry and kidnapping have become tragically routine, leaving communities in fear and demanding urgent government action.
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