Armed bandits have kidnapped at least 20 individuals—mostly young girls and women—from Moriki town in the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A resident of Moriki, Sufyanu Moriki, told media that the victims were taken on Saturday while collecting firewood on the outskirts of the town.
“They went out to gather firewood when the armed group seized them,” he said. “No one has been contacted for ransom yet.”
The police in Zamfara have not yet confirmed the incident. The spokesperson for the Zamfara Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, stated he had not been informed but promised to follow up once he received more details.
What began as a conflict over land and water rights between herders and farmers has evolved into widespread organised crime. Armed groups now terrorise rural communities where government presence remains weak or entirely absent.
These attacks have worsened the region’s malnutrition crisis, forcing farmers off their land. Climate change and cuts in western aid have further complicated the situation.
Just last month, bandits in Zamfara murdered 33 individuals they had abducted in February, despite receiving a ransom of $33,700. Three infants also died while in captivity, according to officials and residents.
Cooperation Between Bandits and Jihadists
Since 2011, as arms smuggling increased across the Sahel, criminal gangs in northwest Nigeria have flourished—initially through cattle rustling and kidnapping. These groups now extort local farmers and artisanal miners by imposing illegal levies.
Violence has spread from the northwest into north-central Nigeria in recent years.
Two weeks ago, Nigerian forces killed at least 95 gang members in a joint operation involving ground troops and airstrikes in Niger State. However, the military remains overstretched. Despite improved coordination between the army and air force, analysts note that airstrikes have also led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians over the years.
Bandits—primarily driven by profit—have increased cooperation with jihadist groups involved in the 16-year-long insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. The emergence of the Lakurawa jihadist faction in the northwest has escalated violence further.
In response, state governments have begun enlisting anti-jihadist militias, previously active in the northeast, to assist in combating banditry.