GUSAU (The Thursday Times) — At least 53 people were killed when village vigilantes ambushed an armed kidnapping gang in Zamfara state, in Nigeria’s northwest, residents said on Saturday.
The fighting broke out on Thursday in Zoma village, in Bukkuyum district, as the gang passed through after abducting several people from neighbouring Gummi district, according to residents. Such gangs are known locally as bandits.
“We were alerted that the bandits were heading our way, so our vigilantes laid in wait for the bandits and engaged them in a fierce gunfight,” said a traditional village chief, who asked not to be named for his own safety.
The chief said the vigilantes killed 44 gang members and lost nine of their own men. A gang commander known as Jijji, who had led the kidnapping, was among the dead, he said. Two other Zoma residents, Kabiru Tafida and Basiru Buhari, gave the same account of the fighting and the toll, which has not been independently verified.
A spokesman for the Zamfara state police said the force had not yet received details of the clash. News of attacks in remote parts of the state often takes days to emerge because of poor telephone coverage and long distances.
Buhari called on the government to arm the village defence groups. “We call on the authorities to provide our vigilantes with guns and ammunition to fight these bandits who use sophisticated weapons,” he said.
Years of raids
Zamfara is one of several states in northwest and central Nigeria where armed gangs raid villages to kidnap people for ransom, steal cattle, loot homes, and burn them. The violence grew out of disputes between herders and farmers over land and water, made worse by climate change and population growth, and has since become a kidnapping economy run by heavily armed groups, some of which have formed ties with jihadist organisations.
Nigeria’s military calls the gangs terrorists and runs a dedicated campaign against them in the northwest. Village vigilante groups, often armed with old rifles and hunting guns, have filled gaps where the army and police are thinly spread.
Insecurity and the rising cost of living have become central issues in the presidential race, as President Bola Tinubu seeks a second term in the election due in January.
