Latest news with #Zamfara
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
At least 9 killed, many abducted in ‘bandit' gang attack in Nigeria
At least nine people have been reported killed and many abducted following an attack in Nigeria's northwest, residents and local officials said, amid increasing violence against farmers by what have been described as 'bandit' gangs. The deadly attack on Friday took place in Zamfara state, the epicentre of attacks by heavily armed men known locally as bandits who have been wreaking havoc across Nigeria's northwest in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road. Hamisu Faru, a local lawmaker, confirmed the attack to the Reuters news agency, saying the assailants took 'no fewer than 100 people, including women and children'. 'As I'm speaking to you right now, they are searching house-to-house, abducting people,' Faru said by phone. Yahaya Yari Abubakar, political administrator of Talata Mafara district, where the attack was carried out, told the AFP news agency that nine people were killed in total and at least 15 local people were abducted. Abu Zaki, a resident of the district's Jangebe village, said the victims included the head of the village's vigilante self-defence group and his five colleagues, along with three residents. 'Everybody is now afraid of going to the farm for fear of being attacked,' said another resident, Bello Ahmadu, who corroborated the reported death village was the scene in 2021 of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students from a boarding school. The girls were freed days later after authorities made a ransom payment. Another resident in the area, Mohammed Usman, told Reuters that the attackers laid siege to the town for nearly two hours before taking their captives. Thousands of residents have now fled the village, he said. Zamfara police did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Nigeria's bandits maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, in unrest that has evolved from clashes between herders and farmers over land and resources into a broader conflict fuelled by arms trafficking. Zamfara's state government has recruited vigilantes and armed militias to assist the military in fighting the bandits. Last month, vigilantes, with the aid of Nigeria's secret police, killed about 100 people when they raided the enclave of a gang kingpin in the state's Shinkafi district, according to officials.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
At least 9 killed, many abducted in ‘bandit' gang attack in Nigeria
At least nine people have been reported killed and many abducted following an attack in Nigeria's northwest, residents and local officials said, amid increasing violence against farmers by what have been described as 'bandit' gangs. The deadly attack on Friday took place in Zamfara state, the epicentre of attacks by heavily armed men known locally as bandits who have been wreaking havoc across Nigeria's northwest in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road. Hamisu Faru, a local lawmaker, confirmed the attack to the Reuters news agency, saying the assailants took 'no fewer than 100 people, including women and children'. 'As I'm speaking to you right now, they are searching house-to-house, abducting people,' Faru said by phone. Yahaya Yari Abubakar, political administrator of Talata Mafara district, where the attack was carried out, told the AFP news agency that nine people were killed in total and at least 15 local people were abducted. Abu Zaki, a resident of the district's Jangebe village, said the victims included the head of the village's vigilante self-defence group and his five colleagues, along with three residents. 'Everybody is now afraid of going to the farm for fear of being attacked,' said another resident, Bello Ahmadu, who corroborated the reported death toll. Jangebe village was the scene in 2021 of the mass abduction of almost 300 female students from a boarding school. The girls were freed days later after authorities made a ransom payment. Another resident in the area, Mohammed Usman, told Reuters that the attackers laid siege to the town for nearly two hours before taking their captives. Thousands of residents have now fled the village, he said. Zamfara police did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Nigeria's bandits maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, in unrest that has evolved from clashes between herders and farmers over land and resources into a broader conflict fuelled by arms trafficking. Zamfara's state government has recruited vigilantes and armed militias to assist the military in fighting the bandits. Last month, vigilantes, with the aid of Nigeria's secret police, killed about 100 people when they raided the enclave of a gang kingpin in the state's Shinkafi district, according to officials.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Reuters
Bandits kill six, abduct more than 100 in Nigeria's Zamfara state
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, July 18 (Reuters) - Gunmen killed at least six people and abducted more than 100 others, including women and children, in an attack on Kairu community in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, a local lawmaker and residents said on Friday. Zamfara is the epicentre of attacks by gangs of heavily armed men, known locally as bandits, that have wreaked havoc across Nigeria's northwest in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road or on farms in some areas. The bandits stormed Kairu around 1040 GMT on Friday, firing indiscriminately, Abubakar Isa, a resident whose wife was abducted, told Reuters by phone. Hamisu Faru, a local lawmaker, confirmed the attack to Reuters, saying the assailants took "no fewer than 100 people, including women and children". "As I'm speaking to you right now, they are searching house-to-house, abducting people," Faru said by phone. Another resident, Mohammed Usman, said the attackers laid siege to the town for nearly two hours before taking their captives. Thousands of residents have now fled the village, he said. Zamfara police didn't immediately respond to requests for comments.
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nugeria: Zamfara, gov Lawal, REA sign MoU on solar energy
The Zamfara State government and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on solar energy in Abuja. Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday, Governor Dauda Lawal described Zamfara as an ideal site for the harvest of solar energy, highlighting the availability of intense sunlight all year round throughout the area. A statement by the Governor's spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said the MoU on solar energy signing ceremony also featured roundtable discussions and commitments involving energy sector stakeholders. According to the statement, the roundtable focused on revitalising the Zamfara electricity sector to promote social justice, strategic development and innovation through renewable energy. In his remarks, Governor Lawal said he inherited a government gripped by widespread energy poverty. The Governor said, 'Many Local Government Areas were disconnected from the national grid. Public utilities were decayed, vandalised or non-functional. Critical infrastructure had collapsed under years of neglect and our industrial and commercial centres were crippled by unreliable power supply. 'However, we chose not to wallow in the blame game. Instead, we intentionally responded to the challenges we met with strategic vision, unwavering resolve and decisive action. 'Since then, our administration has embarked on a mission to rewrite that narrative by placing energy access at the heart of our development strategy. We launched one of the country's most ambitious state-led transformer deployment programmes, installing more than 150 units across urban and rural communities. 'In collaboration with Kaduna Electric, we restored power to six Local Government Areas, and we are reconnecting seven more, some of which have been without power for over a decade. These efforts are part of a plan to expand access, stimulate enterprise and unlock private sector investment.' Governor Lawal noted that Zamfara offers compelling advantages for renewable energy investment. 'We are blessed with high-intensity year-round sunlight, making us a prime location for solar farms, mini-grids and standalone systems. 'Coupled with this is the immense potential of the Bakalori Dam, a largely untapped hydropower asset with an irrigation command area of over 30,000 hectares. This synergy of solar and hydro presents an opportunity to deploy hybrid energy solutions that can power semi-urban and rural clusters. 'Our agricultural sector is another strong anchor. Zamfara is consistently ranked among Nigeria's top millet, sorghum, soybeans and groundnuts producers. We are repositioning this sector through improved inputs, mechanised systems and irrigation rehabilitation. 'Yet, what is lacking and what renewable energy can provide is the critical power infrastructure needed for agro-processing, cold-chain storage and value addition at the source. Energy is the missing link that can transform our agrarian communities into engines of rural industrialisation. 'Our infrastructure renewal is exemplified by the nearly completed Gusau International and Cargo Airport, envisioned as a gateway for passengers, trade, logistics and investments. 'To realise our green vision, we aim for this facility to be Nigeria's first airport powered by at least 50 per cent renewable energy, offering RESCOs a chance to lead in sustainable aviation,' the Governor said. Earlier, the REA Managing Director, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, assured Governor Lawal of the agency's commitment to deploying electricity infrastructure in Zamfara State. 'For the first time in the history of Nigeria, mapping the entire country has been done and it shows the number and location of the people who do not have electricity. The nature of their community and their electricity demand. 'This helps the RESCOs, the finances and the state government develop a strategy for channelling efforts to ensure that these people have electricity,' he said. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Al Arabiya
26-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
State-backed militia kills more than 100 Nigerian ‘bandits'
Government-sponsored vigilantes in northwest Nigeria killed more than 100 gang members in a gun battle earlier this week, a local official said late Wednesday. Members of Zamfara Civilian Protection Guard (CPG), a state-backed militia, stormed the stronghold of Bello Turji, a notorious 'bandit' kingpin, engaging his fighters in hours-long gunfight that left scores dead, said Ahmad Manga, security adviser to the state governor of Zamfara.
