Nigerian military forces have successfully eliminated more than 300 members of kidnapping and cattle rustling gangs during a two-day security operation in the north-western state of Zamfara. The state’s information commissioner, Mahmud Muhammad Dantawasa, confirmed the results of the mission in the Gummi district, describing the outcome as a significant breakthrough in the government’s ongoing efforts to restore order to the region. The Zamfara government said the operation had been a significant breakthrough in its fight to restore order to the state.
Local residents reported that the campaign began on Wednesday night, involving a coalition of soldiers and local vigilantes. The forces engaged approximately 1,000 bandits who had been involved in livestock theft. According to local witness Abubakar Muhammad, the clashes continued throughout the night and into the following morning, resulting in the high death toll. This operation followed a failed attempt by troops to assault the bandits’ camp two weeks prior, where they were forced to withdraw after being outnumbered.
These criminal gangs, often comprised of cattle rustlers working alongside jihadists, have long terrorized rural communities across northern and central Nigeria. Their activities include raiding farmland, stealing cattle, kidnapping for ransom, and imposing extortionate levies on farmers attempting to access their own land. Security analysts observe that these criminal elements and jihadist groups have increasingly cooperated, sharing mutual interests in a weakened central government as they exploit impoverished rural areas.
The security landscape in Nigeria remains volatile, with the government managing multiple crises, including a 17-year insurgency by jihadist groups. Recent months have seen intensified efforts, including partnerships with the United States. A joint US-Nigeria operation in May resulted in the death of an Islamic State second-in-command and roughly 200 fighters in the north-east. Additionally, the government continues to combat groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.
General lawlessness, often fueled by extreme poverty, remains a pervasive issue. Both bandits and jihadists frequently utilize the mass kidnapping of elementary-school children to demand ransoms. In a separate, recent incident, the army reported casualties while rescuing more than 40 kidnapped schoolchildren, an event that caused widespread shock as it occurred in the south-west, a region previously considered relatively secure.
“The soldiers and the vigilantes killed more than 300 bandits in the fight which raged all night and the following morning,” Abubakar Muhammad told Agency France–Presse.
The army said on Saturday that it had suffered casualties during the rescue of more than 40 kidnapped schoolchildren who were taken by what authorities said were jihadists. It came as a shock because it happened in the south-west of the country, which was previously thought to be relatively safe.
