Hundreds of angry residents from various communities in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State staged a mass protest on Wednesday over rising insecurity, alleging that bandits kill as many as 100 people daily across affected villages.
The protesters—on foot, motorcycles, and in vehicles—brought movement in Gusau, the state capital, to a standstill for over two hours as they blocked major access roads before converging at the Zamfara Government House. They carried placards and chanted protest songs, demanding urgent government intervention to halt the killings and kidnappings plaguing their communities.
Some of the placards read: “We the people of about 30 communities of Gusau 11 need peace and want to be rescued from bandits,” and “Peace is our concern as we are being killed every day. End banditry in Mada, Lilo, Ruwan Bore, Fegin Baza, Bangi, others.”
According to the protesters, villages such as Mada, Ruwan Bore, Fegin Baza, Bangi, Lilo, Wonaka, and Fegin Mahe have become hotspots for deadly attacks, with residents reportedly killed or abducted almost daily. They also lamented being unable to farm since the start of the rainy season due to the frequent attacks, noting that bandits not only kill and kidnap but also loot homes and destroy food supplies.
A protester, Abubakar Abdullahi from Fegin Mahe, told Vanguard that he had lost several relatives to bandit attacks. As a farmer and businessman, he also claimed to have lost goods worth over ₦1 million, including 500 bags of fertilizer worth ₦65,000 each, looted from his shop during one of the attacks.
“We have cried enough. Our communities are in danger, and no one from the government has come to sympathize with us since this crisis intensified about three months ago,” he said, calling on Governor Dauda Lawal to intervene urgently.
Though the protesters caused no harm to people or damage to property, many vowed not to return to their homes until the state government responded to their demands.
Reacting to the protest, the Chairman of Gusau Local Government Council, Hon. Abubakar Iman—represented by Aminu Wakili Mada—acknowledged the outcry from residents of Mada, Ruwan Bore, and Fegin Mahe. He assured that the government, in collaboration with security agencies, was working to restore peace and would soon deploy operatives to the most affected communities.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to addressing the escalating security situation and pledged more engagement with affected residents in the days ahead.
