Bandits attack Zamfara mosque, abduct worshippers

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, reported that the group of bandits led their abductees into a forest. The exact number of abductees remains unknown.

The publication also noted that the deadly kingpin might be planning to use the abductees as human shields against an attack on his home by troops of Operation FANSAN YANMMA.

Since December 2024, no fewer than 80 people have been abducted in different attacks in the state.

One such attack occurred during a raid on Gana, a town in Zamfara.

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Another incident occurred in December, where about 40 people were abducted in an attack on Kakidawa, Gidan Goga district, Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

Many northern states, like Zamfara, have experienced a spate of insecurity and abductions, which have worsened over the years.

The Guardian had reported in 2024, using data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), that approximately 2,235,954 kidnapping cases occurred that year, and ₦2.2 trillion was paid as ransom—averaging ₦2.7 million per incident.

The Northwestern region of the country, where Zamfara is situated, recorded the highest ransom payments, valued at ₦1.2 trillion.