Maiduguri, Nigeria (Reuters) – Armed attackers killed at least 20 people during a violent assault on a gold mining village in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, local residents and Amnesty International confirmed on Thursday.
The motive for the attack remains unclear, but Zamfara has long struggled with widespread insecurity, including kidnappings for ransom and frequent attacks by heavily armed criminal gangs who also target security forces.
Police in Zamfara have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
According to resident Ismail Hassan, the attackers arrived in their hundreds and opened fire on miners in Gobirawa Chali, a village in the Maru local government area, sparking intense gunfire. “More than 20 people were killed,” Hassan told Reuters.
Another resident, Isah Ibrahim, reported that at least 21 bodies were recovered from the scene, adding that several people were also injured during the ambush.
Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the attack, noting that the gunmen went house-to-house, killing more than 20 villagers in a brutal raid.
The assault is the latest in a wave of violence plaguing Nigeria’s northwest, where armed groups—commonly referred to as bandits—have killed and kidnapped hundreds of people in recent years. Operating from remote forest hideouts, these gangs frequently target rural communities, travelers, and security personnel.
Nigeria’s security forces remain overstretched, battling multiple security challenges across the country—from Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, to deadly farmer-herder clashes in the central regions, and separatist agitations in the south.
This latest attack underscores the growing insecurity in Zamfara and the urgent need for stronger government intervention to protect vulnerable rural communities.
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