Nigerian troops kill more than 300 bandits in Zamfara operation

Nigerian soldiers and local vigilantes have killed more than 300 bandits in a two-day operation in Zamfara state, according to a state official. The fighting took place in Gummi district, in the north-west of the country, after the armed group was targeted following the theft of livestock. Residents said the clash began on Wednesday night and continued into the following morning.

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Zamfara's information commissioner, Mahmud Muhammad Dantawasa, said in a statement that the operation led to the elimination of more than 300 terrorists. Local resident Abubakar Muhammad said soldiers and vigilantes fought about 1,000 bandits who had stolen livestock. He said the bandits were killed in a battle that raged through the night and the next morning.

Residents also said troops had tried to attack the camp two weeks earlier but were forced to withdraw after being outnumbered. The state government described the operation as a significant breakthrough in its effort to restore order. The scale of the reported deaths is notable in a region where armed gangs have long attacked farming communities, stolen cattle and carried out kidnappings for ransom.

The same groups have also imposed levies on farmers seeking access to their land, deepening insecurity in rural areas. The incident adds to the pressure on authorities in a state that has struggled for years with banditry and related violence. Northern and central Nigeria have faced a prolonged security crisis involving criminal gangs and Islamist militants.

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Security analysts have said that some criminal groups and jihadists have cooperated in recent years, with both benefiting from weak state control in remote areas. The row also comes against the backdrop of a 17-year insurgency in the north of the country, alongside wider lawlessness fuelled by poverty. In this environment, mass kidnappings and attacks on villages have become a recurring feature of the conflict.

The latest operation may be seen as part of a broader effort by Nigerian authorities to push back armed groups across several fronts. The country is also dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency and the Islamic State West Africa Province, while the government has recently reported killings of jihadists in partnership with the United States. That wider security picture underlines why developments in Zamfara are being watched closely, even though the immediate operation involved bandits rather than the Islamist insurgent groups.

What remains unclear is the exact number of fighters killed and whether any troops or civilians were wounded in the operation. It is also not clear how much of the bandit camp was destroyed or whether any suspects escaped. The next stage will be whether authorities can hold the area and prevent reprisals or renewed attacks in Gummi district and elsewhere in Zamfara.

#Nigeria #Zamfara #banditry #kidnapping #security

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