Bandits Raid Kaduna Community, Kill Farmers, Abduct Several Others

At least nine farmers have been killed and several others abducted after armed bandits attacked a farming community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The latest assault occurred on Saturday in Kakangi village, where the gunmen reportedly stormed farmlands and opened fire on farmers who were tending their crops.

According to a security report prepared for the United Nations and obtained by AFP, nine bodies had been recovered following the attack, while six of the victims had been identified by local authorities.

The report also indicated that an unspecified number of residents were taken away by the attackers.

A community leader in Birnin Gwari, Kabiru Ishaq, who visited the village after the incident, however, said 10 people lost their lives in the attack.

According to him, the raid was carried out in retaliation after local farmers allegedly killed a bandit during an attempted robbery earlier in the day.

The security report gave a similar account, stating that the slain bandit’s accomplices returned with additional fighters and launched a revenge attack on the farming community.

The assailants reportedly shot farmers on their fields before fleeing with several captives.

The attack underscores the worsening insecurity facing farming communities across northern Nigeria, where armed groups have intensified raids since the onset of the rainy season.

Bandits and other criminal gangs have increasingly targeted rural settlements, killing residents, abducting victims for ransom and forcing many farmers to abandon their farmlands.

Birnin Gwari remains one of the worst-hit areas despite a peace accord brokered in November 2024 between local authorities and armed groups in an effort to curb violence in the district.

The agreement has failed to halt recurring attacks.

Only last month, at least six farmers were killed while 20 others were kidnapped during a similar raid on Danauta village, also in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

The renewed attacks have heightened concerns over food production and the safety of farming communities as residents continue to grapple with persistent insecurity.

Source: AFP