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ZAMFARA THREAD: In July we issued a report on escalating insecurity in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, with daily killings and kidnappings by armed bandits leaving villagers in constant fear of attack.
Between Sunday 7 and Thursday 12 July, Amnesty International visited communities in five local government areas of Zamfara state – Zurmi, Maradun, Maru, Anka and Tsafe.
This is Nigeria’s forgotten conflict. The authorities’ failure to act has left villagers in Zamfara at the mercy of armed bandits, who have killed hundreds of people over the course of two bloody years.
Previous military interventions have failed to end the killings, especially in rural areas of Zamfara. At least 371 people have been killed in Zamfara in 2018 alone.
Villagers described feeling helpless and on edge, constantly bracing themselves for attacks. Men said they are sleeping outside their homes and in trees as a way of keeping vigilant, while women and children are sleeping together in groups for protection.
Villagers described a pattern where they receive warnings ahead of attacks, including by phone, ordering them to pay huge sums of money or be killed or abducted.
In several communities, villagers said they were afraid to venture more than a few kilometres into the bush, which is preventing them from farming. They would not take Amnesty International researchers to see attack sites for fear of meeting the bandits.
The crisis in Zamfara is making life hell for villagers, yet it is clearly low down on the list of government priorities. These killings must stop immediately, and those suspected of criminal responsibility must be brought to justice in fair trials.
The Nigerian authorities have a responsibility to protect the lives of everybody in the country, including people in poor and rural communities.
Our report on the situation in Zamfara state was issued in July, 2018.
