At least 55 people have been abducted in Zamfara State in two separate attacks, even as neighbouring Katsina sealed a peace agreement with armed groups over the weekend.
On Monday morning, gunmen invaded a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe Local Government Area, and whisked away 43 worshippers who had gathered for dawn prayers. Witnesses said the bandits surrounded the mosque around 5:30 a.m., waited until the prayers ended, then marched the victims toward Gahori Mountain, a notorious hideout for armed groups.
Locals said the assailants deliberately parked their motorcycles far from the village to avoid detection. “They gathered all the worshippers and later moved them out of the community toward Gahori Mountain,” said Habibu Dogo, a resident.
The mountain, which straddles Zamfara, Kebbi and parts of Kaduna State, is known to shelter several factions led by infamous commanders including Bello Turji, Ado Aliero, Dogo Gide, Dan Isuhu and Black.
A day earlier, on Sunday, another group of bandits kidnapped 12 people in Godai village, Bukkuyum Local Government Area, underscoring renewed insecurity across Zamfara.
“From Kucheri to Tsafe, a 10-kilometre stretch, has become a death trap,” said Auwal Isa, a local. “Hardly a day passes without attacks. Even communities that had agreements with the bandits are being targeted.”
Community leaders allege that fighters loyal to Adamu Aliero were behind the mosque attack, saying it was punishment for Zamfara’s refusal to sign a peace deal similar to Katsina’s. “This is their usual pattern, whenever they reach a peace deal in one place, they shift their attacks to neighbouring areas,” one leader explained.
Security experts have warned that unilateral deals by individual states are only displacing violence across the North West. They argue that without a coordinated regional strategy, peace accords will remain fragile and short-lived.
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