Terrorists, locally referred to as “bandits,” have abducted more than 150 residents from the villages of Kurfa Ɗanya and Kurfan Magaji in the Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The lawmaker representing the Gumi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Suleiman Abubakar, confirmed the incident to the BBC Hausa Service, stating that the attacks occurred late Thursday night.
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According to the lawmaker, the terrorists launched a coordinated midnight assault, kidnapping unsuspecting villagers while they slept.
Residents also told PREMIUM TIMES that the attackers raided several neighbouring settlements, causing an exodus of displaced people seeking safety.
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The lawmaker noted that the region is gripped by panic, with many survivors currently taking refuge at the Bukkuyum Local Government Council headquarters.
The Gumi and Bukkuyum areas have been plagued by banditry and mass abductions for ransom. In his statement, Mr Abubakar urged the federal government to intensify its focus on the security crisis in the North-west.
“The government’s security priorities have shifted toward Borno State due to the resurgence of Boko Haram insurgents. We are pleading for the same level of attention, as Zamfara is facing equally dire security challenges”, the lawmaker pleaded.
The terrorist activities
Unlike the misguided ideological motivations of Boko Haram in the North-east, banditry in Zamfara is primarily driven by profit. Mass abductions of villagers and sometimes students have become a routine criminal enterprise.
Such mass abductions in Gumi and Bukkuyum are meant to gather a huge ransom. When ransom demands aren’t met, victims are often killed or forced into labour, while those who pay are frequently targeted again.
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The Bukkuyum and Gumi areas are particularly vulnerable due to their proximity to vast, ungoverned forest reserves. These areas provide ideal cover for bandits to establish camps, making it difficult for the Nigerian military to patrol the terrain.
Despite several military operations—such as Operation Hadarin Daji—and occasional attempts at peace dialogues or “amnesty” deals by the state government, the violence remains cyclical.
