Renowned security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, has sounded the alarm over a wave of deadly banditry attacks in Zamfara State’s Damri District, which left at least four people dead and many others injured in a fresh escalation of rural violence.
Taking to his official X handle on Tuesday, Makama reported that heavily armed bandits—over 60 in number—unleashed coordinated assaults on multiple farming communities in Bakura Local Government Area, sending shockwaves through the already terrorized region.
The bloodshed began on Monday, July 21, when the marauders, riding on motorcycles and brandishing assault rifles, descended on Damri village around 11:00 a.m., targeting innocent farmers going about their daily work on the fields.
> “They just came suddenly, opened fire, and everyone started running,” recounted Alhaji Shehu Maikasuwa, a local farmer who narrowly escaped the ambush. “Two people were hit and seriously injured.”
As villagers were still reeling from the morning attack, the bandits returned with vengeance by 5:45 p.m., launching near-simultaneous raids on Turmi, Zugudum, and Gidan Begu—neighboring communities within the same district. Eyewitnesses say the attackers wreaked havoc, leaving four villagers dead and carting away scores of livestock.
Security forces under Operation FANSAN YANMA, including the Nigerian Army, Police, Civilian Protection Guards (CPG), and local vigilantes, were swiftly mobilized to the affected areas.
> “Unfortunately, by the time our operatives arrived at the scenes, the bandits had already vanished into the bush,” a security source told Zagazola.
The source confirmed that the remains of the deceased were recovered, examined by medical personnel, and handed over to their families for burial in accordance with Islamic rites. Meanwhile, those injured are currently receiving treatment at local medical facilities.
The brutal attacks have once again highlighted the growing impunity with which criminal gangs operate across Zamfara and other parts of the North-West, defying military efforts and deepening fears among farming communities already struggling with economic hardship and displacement.
As authorities ramp up search operations to track down the attackers, residents are calling for more permanent and robust security presence to prevent further bloodshed and restore peace in the troubled region.
PIONEER NEWS 