A fresh wave of violence has struck Zamfara State, as armed assailants launched a late-night assault on the Agama Lafia community in Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA), leaving two people dead and three others wounded.
The incident, reported by Bakatsine a social media platform dedicated to monitoring security incidents in northern Nigeria occurred on Sunday night. According to Bakatsine’s Monday morning update, the attack unfolded less than 24 hours after another deadly ambush in Kungurki, located in Kauran Namoda LGA, also in Zamfara.
“Last night, bandits attacked Agama Lafia community in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State, killing two and injuring three people. This incident occurred less than 24 hours after a similar attack in Kungurki, Kauran Namoda LGA of the same state,” the post read.
Zamfara has become a flashpoint in the ongoing insecurity plaguing northern Nigeria, with Tsafe LGA frequently cited as one of the most affected regions. Residents there have suffered repeated attacks involving killings, abductions, and forced displacements.
Just days earlier, Bakatsine reported another gruesome attack in Kwaren Ganuwa, also in Tsafe LGA. That assault resulted in two fatalities, three injuries, and the abduction of 10 individuals.
These violent incidents are part of a disturbing trend. On April 12, suspected criminals set fire to critical infrastructure in Tsafe, including a mosque, a Primary Healthcare Centre, and several homes. A few days prior, on April 9, two people were killed and more than 60 abducted during a series of attacks across multiple communities within the same LGA.
Sources believe the surge in violence could be retaliatory. Security analysts suggest that the attacks may have been orchestrated by loyalists of a well-known bandit leader, seeking vengeance for the deaths of his son and younger brother in March. Both were reportedly killed by security forces in Keta, Tsafe LGA, during a joint operation involving the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorist Unit, local hunters, and members of the Civilian Protection Guard (CPG). That mission, carried out on March 28, ended in a fierce firefight, resulting in numerous casualties among the bandits and the loss of seven security personnel.
In a separate development in January, another notorious warlord identified as Dodo Gide imposed illegal levies amounting to over ₦100 million on 23 communities in Tsafe. The extortion sums reportedly ranged from ₦2.5 million to ₦20 million per community, further exacerbating the suffering of already traumatized residents.
Despite these ongoing assaults, the response from the state authorities has been inconsistent. Efforts by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) to contact Yazid Abubakar, spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, yielded no concrete response. Though he initially requested details of the latest attacks via WhatsApp, he failed to follow up or return calls.
In the face of escalating unrest, Governor Dauda Lawal maintains that the state is making progress in restoring peace. In an April 12 interview with Arise News, he acknowledged that although attacks still occur, their frequency and scale have reduced significantly under his administration.
“Things are changing for the better. Like you rightly pointed out, Zamfara faced serious security challenges in the past… some of these issues have been inherited over the years,” Governor Lawal stated. “That’s why I had to establish a dedicated security task force upon assuming office. They’ve been effective in curbing the scale of violence. In the past, we used to hear reports of 100 to 200 people being killed daily. That has drastically reduced.”
However, for the residents of Tsafe and other embattled communities in Zamfara, the cycle of violence remains a grim reality one that demands urgent and sustained intervention from both state and federal authorities.
