Tragic news has broken out once again from the northwest region of Nigeria, namely from Katsina state, where a brutal attack by gunmen has killed at least 25 people and abducted many more. The event took place late on Sunday in Yargoje, Kankara, when a gang of armed men riding motorcycles stormed the village, according to Nasiru Babangida Mu’azu, the state commissioner for security affairs.
Shamefully, these blatant assaults by armed gangs, popularly known as “bandits,” have unfortunately grown commonplace in the central and northwestern parts of Nigeria. People still feel unsafe and exposed because the government and security forces can’t stop these brutal invasions, no matter how many promises they’ve made.
As the attackers, armed with rifles, opened fire randomly, looted stores, and captured residents, eyewitnesses described a scene of anarchy and dread. The tragedy’s full scope is only now becoming apparent; one local has put the death toll at well than 50, and more victims are being found in the nearby bush. Men, women, and children of all ages are being brutally assaulted in these attacks, leaving many wounded and in need of medical care.
An further local who escaped the carnage with a near escape, Abdullahi Yunusa Kankara, recounts the terrifying experience that continued into Monday morning, turning their formerly tranquil village into a “death zone.” The ferocity of the attack affected many houses, and the aftermath shows a community in grief.
Counting how many people were kidnapped by the gunman is a sobering process that the survivors of the incident must now face. The kidnapping of more than 300 students from a secondary boys’ boarding school on the outskirts of Kankara in December 2020 is just one example of the horrific events that this most recent episode brings to mind. The victims and their family still carry the anguish from the trauma they endured, even if they were rescued in the end.
Unfortunately, this latest tragedy is just the latest in a troubling trend of violence and anarchy in the area. Former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari was born in Katsina state, where a heinous daylight kidnapping in March this year took place, leaving dozens of passengers dead and highlighting the state’s chronic instability.
These attacks keep happening, so we need to do something about the underlying reasons of insecurity in the northwest region of Nigeria. Fear and uncertainty will persist among the people as long as the government does not take swift and clear measures to end the cycle of bloodshed and suffering.
