Gunmen on motorcycles stormed a village and a military outpost in northwestern Nigeria's Zamfara state over the weekend, kidnapping at least 52 people, including children, according to local residents and officials.
The attack unfolded around midnight on Saturday in Kasuwar Daji, a community in the Kaura Namoda local government area. Witnesses told the AFP news agency that the assailants first targeted a military base on the village's outskirts, where they exchanged fire with troops, seized rifles, and set a military patrol vehicle on fire before moving into the village itself.
Residents described a systematic sweep through the settlement. “The gunmen went from house to house, abducting many people,” said Ahmad Usman, a local resident. Another villager, Shehu Abdullahi, whose 12-year-old daughter was among those taken, said the attackers initially seized more than 100 people but later released some, leaving 52 in captivity.
“They abducted two of my sons' wives and they also took away two teenage girls from my family,” Usman added.
No soldiers were reported among the kidnapped, but the raid underscores the fragility of security in a region where state presence is thin and armed groups operate with near impunity.
Military response questioned
Alhaji Ibrahim Musa, another resident, said the attackers “overpowered” the military base stationed in the community. “This is not the first time these criminals are attacking our community,” he said, recalling a recent assault on a local police station.
Army spokesman Olaniyi Osoba offered a different account, claiming troops “successfully” repelled the attack on the base. He acknowledged that a soldier and a policeman were killed and that an “unspecified number of residents” were abducted. Osoba blamed “terrorists,” a term the Nigerian government applies broadly to various armed groups.
A Zamfara police spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Kidnapping has become a lucrative enterprise for armed groups across Nigeria, from jihadist factions in the northeast to criminal gangs known locally as “bandits” that plague the northwest and central states. Zamfara is among the hardest-hit areas, with villages frequently subjected to raids, mass abductions, and demands for hefty ransoms.
The latest incident highlights the persistent insecurity that has displaced thousands and disrupted daily life in rural communities. While the Nigerian military has stepped up operations in the region, attacks continue, raising questions about the effectiveness of current counterinsurgency efforts.
For the families of the 52 kidnapped, the wait for news is agonizing. “We are appealing to the government to help us get our people back,” said Abdullahi, whose daughter remains in captivity.
