Armed Bandits Kidnap Over 50 in Northwest Nigeria Mass Abduction

Gunmen, referred to as armed bandits, kidnapped more than 50 people in the village of Sabon Garin Damri in Zamfara state, northwest Nigeria, marking the first mass abduction incident in the Bakura local government area this year. This attack is part of a troubling trend of increasing large-scale kidnappings and violence in northern Zamfara, where banditry has evolved from conflicts over land and water rights into organized crime involving ransom kidnappings, looting, and taxing local farmers and miners. The crisis has exacerbated malnutrition in the region as attacks force residents away from their farms, compounded by climate change and reductions in Western aid. In recent months, bandits killed 33 kidnapped individuals despite ransom payments, including the deaths of three babies in captivity. Nigerian troops have conducted operations against these gangs, killing at least 95 members in recent clashes, but the military remains overstretched, and airstrikes have sometimes resulted in civilian casualties. The violence, which has spread from northwest to north-central Nigeria, continues to destabilize the region and challenge government efforts to restore security.