Bandits Kill 21 Villagers in Zamfara Community
Last update: April 12, 2026
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Bandits attack community after refusal to pay levies..
Twenty-one people were killed in clashes with "bandits" in Zamfara state after villagers refused to pay them money reports the AFP.
The gangs have been increasingly forging ties with jihadists from the northeast waging a 17-year insurgency, causing concern among officials.
The villagers said Dozens of bandits on around 80 motorcycles stormed Bunkasau village in Bukkuyum district on Friday and engaged residents in a shootout.
A police spokesman Yazid Abubakar confirmed the incident without providing details.
"We are aware of the violence but we are still investigating and gathering details," Yazid Abubakar, Zamfara state police spokesman said.
"The bandits killed 21 people during the fight," said Lawwali Umar, a community leader in the town Bukkuyum, which is the district headquarters.
He added that the villagers got tired of levies the bandits would periodically impose and decided never to pay again.
Umar said the villagers decided to use the money to buy arms and defend themselves.
Jamilu Aliyu, another Bukkuyum resident gave the same death toll.
Babuga Ahmad from the neighbouring village of Yashi said the bandits engaged the villagers in a gunfight and waited until the villagers ran out of bullets before they "went full blast".
Zamfara is one of several states in northwest and central Nigeria where criminal gangs, locally called bandits, carry out deadly raids, kidnappings and lootings.
