Nigeria clashes kill over 50 in Zamfara, residents say

Residents said clashes between criminal gangs and local vigilantes killed more than 50 people in Zamfara state in northwestern Nigeria.

They said vigilantes from Zoma village in Bukkuyum district ambushed bandits on Thursday after the gang had kidnapped several people from nearby Gummi district. A traditional village chief said 44 bandits and nine vigilantes were killed, and that a notorious bandit commander called Jijji, who had led the kidnapping, was also killed.

A Zamfara state police spokesman said the force had not yet received details about the clashes. Zoma residents Kabiru Tafida and Basiru Buhari gave the same account of the clashes and toll.

Buhari called on authorities to provide vigilantes with guns and ammunition, saying the bandits used sophisticated weapons.

Banditry in Nigeria has roots in conflicts between herders and farmers over access to limited land and water, worsened by climate change and population growth. Armed gangs have emerged from the violence, and the Nigerian military routinely refers to bandits as “terrorists” while running a dedicated campaign against them in the northwest.

Worsening insecurity and the high cost of living have become major issues in the ongoing presidential campaign, as Bola Tinubu runs for a second term in January polls.