At least 30 people have been killed by gunmen suspected to be bandits in Dutsin Dan Ajiya village, Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Residents told SaharaReporters that the armed men arrived at the community on motorbikes after blocking the entry and exit points before unleashing terror on the defenceless residents on Thursday night.
The gunmen reportedly shot sporadically and attacked houses without hindrance for hours.
According to one of the residents of the community, about 30 bodies were recovered after the attack, with many others still missing as of Friday morning.
“The attack resulted in the death of at least 30 residents, both men and women. Many were wounded, and several others were abducted during the raid,” he said.
Zamfara and other North-West states are being terrorised by bandits and other criminals.
The gunmen kill, maim, and kidnap for ransom despite the efforts of the government to tame them over the years.
Despite the insecurity, the state government in 2026 budgeted N1 billion for the construction of cemeteries across the 14 local councils.
The allocation is contained in the state’s approved budget for the 2026 fiscal year and was captured under the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Earlier in February, SaharaReporters reported that bandits ambushed residents of Kyaram community as they were returning from Maga Market in Bukkuyyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing at least five people and leaving several others missing.
The attack occurred along a rural route linking Maga Market to Kyaram village. At least five people were confirmed dead, while several others were unaccounted for.
In a related incident, Bellnews reported on Saturday, January 31, that at least four residents of Gwargwaba village in the Nahuce District of Bungudu Local Government Area were killed on Thursday, January 29, 2025, when terrorists attacked the community.
During the attack, the assailants reportedly set several houses on fire.
Bellnews gathered that the incident occurred around 6 p.m. when heavily armed attackers stormed the village.
Confirming the incident, a security alert platform, Bakatsine, disclosed that four villagers were burned to death inside their homes during the raid.
The spate of killings has continued to trigger public outrage.
In July 2025, residents of several communities in Gusau Local Government Area staged a large protest to express frustration over what they described as relentless killings and abductions by bandits.
The protesters, drawn from over 30 communities, decried the worsening security situation, stating that villages such as Mada, Ruwan Bore, Fegin Baza, Bangi, Lilo, Wonaka, and Fegin Mahe were under frequent attacks. They alleged that as many as 100 people were being killed daily across the affected areas.
Some of the placards carried during the protest read: “We, the people of about 30 communities of Gusau 11, need peace and want to be rescued from bandits,” and “Peace is our concern as we are being killed every day. End banditry in Mada, Lilo, Ruwan Bore, Fegin Baza, Bangi, others.”
According to the protesters, continuous attacks had forced residents to abandon farming activities, even during the peak of the rainy season.
They also reported widespread looting and destruction of food supplies by the attackers, further worsening the humanitarian situation.
Meanwhile, a previous Bellnews review of the Zamfara State budget document showed that the state planned to spend an additional N2.5 billion on the purchase of 50 vehicles in 2025.
This was despite the fact that the state had already spent N13.114 billion between January and October 2024 on the same purpose.