Zamfara Woman Recounts Horror of Bandit Attacks

A 55-year-old woman from Zamfara State, identified as Fatima, has described the devastating impact of bandit attacks on her community, saying residents face a terrible choice between fleeing and being shot or staying and being abducted.

Fatima told the BBC that bandits attacked her village around 2 a.m., surrounding the community with three groups to prevent residents from escaping. She said some people who hid inside houses were trapped when attackers set the buildings on fire, while those who attempted to flee were shot.

She claimed that as many as 100 motorcycles, carrying about three people each, were sometimes involved in the attacks. According to her, about 70 people, including children, were killed in Bia Buki village in June.

Fatima said her husband and six of her seven siblings were among those killed.

Following the attack, she and other residents fled with their children into a nearby forest. She later moved to a temporary camp in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, where she now lives with her seven children.

She described conditions at the camp as difficult, citing inadequate shelter, insufficient food and irregular assistance.

Fatima also alleged that 22 children who were sent to collect firewood to raise money for food were abducted by bandits.

Although military and vigilante patrols have reportedly improved security around the camp, she said displaced residents remain afraid to return home.

Fatima said some nearby villages have been completely deserted, while bandits have allegedly established camps close to communities and exerted influence over local residents.

She said returning home without adequate security would only expose people to further hardship because farms and harvests remain vulnerable to attacks and abductions.

According to the BBC report cited by Vanguard, the conflict in north-western Nigeria has displaced an estimated 800,000 people, with insecurity and violence among the major causes.

For Fatima and thousands of other displaced Nigerians, the desire to return home remains strong, but continuing fear of bandit attacks keeps them away from their communities.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share