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EXCLUSIVE: Fulanis decry injustice in North West, seek end to violence in Zamfara as top bandits weigh surrender

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EXCLUSIVE: Fulanis decry injustice in North West, seek end to violence in Zamfara as top bandits weigh surrender

By Zagazola Makama

In the heart of Zamfara’s conflict-weary forests, a growing chorus of Fulani herders and leaders is calling for an end to violence not with weapons, but through dialogue and justice. They say they are ready to embrace peace, if government addresses long-standing grievances that have festered into bloody confrontations.

For over a decade, northwestern Nigeria has been plagued by banditry, livestock rustling, mass abductions and retaliatory attacks that have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced. But in a rare show of willingness, Fulani stakeholders at a recent meeting in Gusau expressed readiness to renounce violence if treated with fairness.

The sensitisation forum, hosted on May 4 by the Commander of 1 Brigade, Nigerian Army, brought together Fulani leaders under the aegis of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), alongside top security officials, including representatives of the State Director of Security and the Commissioner of Police.

Fulani leaders from all 14 local government areas of Zamfara attended the meeting, where they poured out their grievances — some dating back years — and appealed for genuine government intervention.

“We are not all bandits,” Fulani leaders insist

“I have lost over 150 cows to Yansakai, yet I have never carried a weapon or joined any group,” said Mallam Salisu Umar, a herder from Maru LGA. “But every time they see a Fulani man, they see a bandit. Is that fair? Is that justice?”

Another herder, Muhammadu Sale, alleged that just last Friday, vigilantes stole about 300 livestock belonging to a law-abiding Fulani man. “They never took the animals to the committee on recovery of livestock — they sold them in the market in connivance with some local security actors,” he said. “In Rijiya, Gusau LGA, another 370 livestock were stolen and diverted.”

The Yansakai vigilante groups, originally formed to protect communities, were accused of indiscriminate violence against Fulani settlements, burning homes, killing unarmed civilians, and rustling cattle under the guise of fighting banditry.

According to Mallam Haruna Dogo from Anka LGA, the situation has become so dire that Fulani children cannot attend schools in Hausa-dominated communities. “The hatred has grown so deep that our children are denied access to education and basic amenities. We are being cut off from society,” he lamented.

Several speakers at the forum said Fulani herders were being profiled, attacked, and even executed without trial. “In some cases, a Fulani youth is captured, beaten until he confesses to being a bandit, and then killed. If anyone dares retrieve his corpse, they are accused of being an accomplice,” said one leader.

Another Fulani elder said he had not travelled in a vehicle for four years out of fear, noting that the meeting in Gusau marked his first time stepping out in days. “Thousands of Fulani families are hiding in the bush, living in fear. Their only crime is being Fulani — and because of a few criminals among us, the whole society sees us as enemies.”

“Our cows are stolen, and security agencies look the other way”

One of the most serious allegations raised at the forum was the alleged collaboration between rogue security personnel and vigilante groups.
“They recover our cows and sell them,” alleged Alhaji Musa Bature from Tsafe. “We sometimes find the stolen animals in open markets. When we report to police, nothing is done. Security agents are benefitting from these crimes.”

He said this cycle of dispossession and injustice was pushing many Fulani youths into banditry.

“Even when we warn them, they say they have no choice. Food is scarce. A mudu of rice is nearly N10,000. Slippers cost N5,000 because of the risks traders face. This desperation leads them into evil acts like kidnapping.”

Umar Jega from Bakura LGA said his entire village was razed by Yansakai last year. “We lost everything. No one was held accountable. We are treated like people without rights.”
Many Fulani leaders at the forum blamed systemic injustice for driving youth into militancy.

Hope from within: top bandits open to surrender

In a potentially game-changing development, several notorious bandit leaders, including Saidu Naeka, Jimmi Smally and Kabiru Yankusa, have indicated willingness to surrender arms on the condition of safety and reintegration. Even Notorious bandits leaders like Bello Truji and Alhaji Nashama have were also part of those who agrees to key into the ongoing non-kinetic efforts.

There are some Fulanis who see the approach as a ploy to arrest them while others think it was politically motivated to manipulation manipulate them. Also, bandits kingpins like Ado Alero and Madele showed interest initially, by sending their representatives to attend the meeting.

“These men are tired,” said a source familiar with the dialogue. “They want peace, but they need assurance they won’t be killed or humiliated. Some of them have also lost loved ones in the cycle of violence.”

Sources said the bandit leaders had already begun patrolling parts of Sokoto Road to deter attacks. “Just last week, they eliminated two bandits who attempted to block the road.”

Following the meeting, more than 100 kidnap victims were released in separate operations in Moriki and Kango Forest. Some victims were handed over directly to the military, while others were rescued by vigilantes and handed over to troops. “We were told we were being released because their leaders now want peace,” said Rabiatu Halliru, one of the freed captives.
Another victim, who spent five months in captivity, said: “It was a miracle. We didn’t pay any ransom. They told us they had made a promise to release us and they kept it.”

The non-kinetic approach initially brought relative calm in the Anka general area, until when some hybrid forces brought in from the North East attacked and beheaded an innocent Fulani boy and cut off some part of his body, roasted it and eat it, that’s when tensions grew again. Another Fulani woman was killed by the Yansakai when she went to the Market, with the accusation that she was linked with bandits.

Fulani leaders propose roadmap to peace

To consolidate peace, Fulani leaders proposed a number of initiatives, including: disbanding or properly regulating the Yansakai vigilantes who were neither employed or recognized by the government. They also want government to reconsider reopening of their cattle markets and herders’ movement corridors.

The Fulani elder also demanded that they want schools, boreholes, and health centres to be constructed in Fulani communities, while insisting on equal treatment of offenders, regardless of ethnicity because they said there are two types of banditry, the one perpetrated by the criminal bandits amongst them and the one perpetrated by Yansakai along with some rogue security personnel.

They proposed direct engagement between MACBAN and bandit leaders to facilitate further releases and end attacks on farmers, nothing that If such opportunity is wasted, more lives will be lost,” warned Mallam Abubakar Sani from Zurmi.

“We are tired. Our children are tired. Let this be the beginning of the end.”he said.

Alhaji Bello Maiturare, MACBAN Chairman in Zamfara, pledged to lead the dialogue with bandits. “We’ve spoken to some of them. They are listening because of this meeting. If the government keeps its word, we will bring more people out of the bush.”

“Most bandits are not sincere” – Theatre Commander

However, the Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation FANSAN YANMA, Maj.-Gen. Oluyinka Soyele, expressed caution.

“Most of the bandits are not sincere. Even after promising to stop attacks, they continue killing and kidnapping people,” he said.

Soyele reiterated that Governor Dauda Lawal and the Government, through the Operation Safe Corridor initiative, had consistently said that only genuinely repentant bandits who renounce violence would be accepted.

“If they are serious and send emissaries to declare their readiness to stop, why not? We are not happy fighting our own people whether Hausa or Fulani , they are Nigerians.”

“But let me tell you what usually happens: when they feel the heat from military operations, they offer to surrender. Once the pressure eases, they regroup, rearm and return to terrorism.”

On the issue of Yansakai, Soyele said: “No one owns up to forming it, but everyone agrees it was created by the Hausa community to protect themselves from cattle rustling. If attacks stop from one side, we can contain the other. But the key is sincerity.”

“Even today, they attacked Maru. We still hear of pockets of attacks here and there by Dan Sadiya. So where is the sincerity?” the Theatre Commander Insist.

Special Appeal to the Defence Headquarters, National Security Adviser, National Counter Terrorism Centre, and DSS: A Call for a Unified, Sustainable Approach to Ending Banditry and Restoring Peace in the North West

However, Zagazola Makama, noted that as Nigeria marks over 15 years of protracted violence and insecurity in the North West, it is time to acknowledge a hard but essential truth: the military alone cannot end banditry.

“What we face is no longer a purely kinetic conflict; it is a complex socio-security crisis that demands a whole-of-society approach, one that combines force with dialogue, justice with reconciliation, and tactical operations with strategic engagement.

“We commend the Defence Headquarters and the intelligence community for the consistent pressure mounted on bandits across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Niger States. We also acknowledge the courageous efforts of security forces on the frontline.

However, it is time to complement those military operations with non-kinetic solutions that address the root causes of the violence, as recently demonstrated in Katsina, Kaduna, and Benue States, where targeted engagement with bandit leaders and conflict stakeholders has begun to yield positive results.

“Let us be candid: the pattern of violence across the North West, North Central, and even parts of the North East suggests that the same networks of armed bandits are interlinked from Zamfara and Katsina to Benue, Plateau, and Taraba.

Their grievances of the Fulani people are strikingly similar ranging from extrajudicial killings by vigilantes (Yan Sakai), loss of livelihoods, lack of inclusion in governance, to ethnic profiling. While these do not justify actions of some criminals amongst them, they point to the urgent need for political, social, and security reintegration mechanisms.

A tragic illustration of this is the recent escalation in Birnin Magaji LGA, Zamfara State, where 25 communities have been banned from accessing their farmlands by a notorious kingpin, Alhaji Nashama. According to local sources, Nashama had earlier promised to protect these communities from rival bandit groups. However, following the alleged killing of two of his relatives, Babuga and Usman whom he claimed were innocent by Yan Sakai operatives, he imposed a violent embargo on farming activities in the area, vowing to kill anyone seen in the fields.

This is not an isolated case. It reflects the fragile trust deficit between rural communities, vigilantes, and armed groups, and point to why pure military responses cannot sustainably resolve this crisis. If we are to prevent further reprisals and displacements, we must take bold steps to re-establish dialogue channels, backed by the intelligence and verification strength of the DSS, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, and community leaders.

We therefore urge the Federal Government to seize this opportunity to chart a new strategy for lasting peace in the Country. The success of community dialogue efforts in places like Katsina and Kaduna, proves that where there is political will and strategic coordination, peace is possible. The time has come to act not just with force, but with foresight.

Nigeria deserves peace. The people of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Benue, and Plateau deserve to farm, trade, and live without fear. Let us give peace a chance decisively and deliberately.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region

EXCLUSIVE: Fulanis decry injustice in North West, seek end to violence in Zamfara as top bandits weigh surrender

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Man killed in love-related fight in Yobe community

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Man killed in love-related fight in Yobe community

By: Zagazola Makama

A 20-year-old man, identified as Jibrin Saidu Lamido, has been killed following a violent altercation over a romantic relationship in Gurdadi village, Yusufari Local Government Area of Yobe State.Sources said that the incident on Tuesday, saying it occurred around 2 a.m. on Monday when the deceased reportedly visited the home of his girlfriend, identified as Saratu Gata, aged 22, in Kalameri village.

An unknown man was said to have arrived at the scene, took the lady away, and challenged the deceased to follow them if he was “truly a man.” A fight subsequently broke out between both men, during which the suspect allegedly attacked Jibrin with a cutlass, inflicting severe injuries on his neck.

Security operatives from Kumaganam Outstation rushed the victim to the General Hospital, Kumaganam, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

His remains were later released to relatives for burial after an autopsy was conducted.

Police say efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

Man killed in love-related fight in Yobe community

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43 herders killed in renewed vigilante attacks in Kebbi, Niger States

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43 herders killed in renewed vigilante attacks in Kebbi, Niger States

By: Zagazola Makama

At least 43 Fulani herders have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks by suspected vigilante groups across parts of Kebbi and Niger States, according to community sources and local leaders.

Zagazola Makama report that the attacks, which occurred between Oct. 24 and 26, affected several rural settlements in Argungu, Arewa, and Bunza Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, where armed vigilantes reportedly invaded Fulani communities, killing dozens and setting houses ablaze.

In Lailaba District of Argungu LGA, particularly at Maini Fulani settlement, and in Bui and Tilli districts of Arewa and Bunza LGAs respectively, at least 37 people were killed, several others injured, and more than 200 houses destroyed. Many residents, including women and children, were displaced, while some persons remain missing.

Eyewitnesses said the attacks were carried out by groups of vigilantes who stormed the herders’ camps, shooting sporadically and torching homes. The violence was said to have begun on Oct. 24 in Argungu, followed by another on Oct. 25 in Bunza, and a third on Oct. 26 in Bui.

Community members alleged that the assailants came from neighbouring villages in Arewa LGA, including Yeldu District, while others involved in the Bui incident were said to have come from Tunga Bature, Tunga Tsoho, Bui, Sangela, and Danmairago villages.

Authorities in Kebbi have since visited the affected areas, promising to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice. The state government also assured displaced families of support and called for calm to prevent further escalation.

Meanwhile, similar violence was reported in Edati Local Government Area of Niger State, where six Fulani herders were killed and more than 60 houses burnt on Sept. 21 in Ejjin, Runji, Majina, and Ginshi villages.

Such acts of reprisal and mob justice could worsen communal relations and heighten insecurity across the affected states.

Reacting to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has condemned the attacks in a statement issued in Abuja by the association’s National Secretary, Bello Aliyu Gotomo.

The group described the killings and destruction of herders’ settlements as unjustified and inhumane, calling for the arrest and prosecution of all those involved.

MACBAN lamented that herders in the region were already contending with the activities of armed bandits locally referred to as Lakurawa, who extort illegal taxes, seize livestock, and terrorise rural dwellers.

“Now, in addition to these threats, peaceful herders are being attacked by vigilantes acting outside the law. Allowing people to take the law into their hands will only worsen insecurity across the state,” the statement warned.

The group further expressed grief over a similar incident in Niger State, where six Fulani herders were killed and more than 60 houses burnt by vigilantes on Sept. 21, 2025, in the communities of Ejjin, Runji, Majina, and Ginshi in Edati Local Government Area.

MACBAN said the violence followed a misunderstanding between a farmer and a herder, after which some vigilantes mobilised and attacked herders’ homes while the herder involved was already in police custody.

The association commended the Governor of Niger State for his prompt intervention, which prevented the crisis from escalating further.

MACBAN, however, called on the Federal, State, and Local Governments to urgently address the rising wave of insecurity affecting rural communities across the country, noting that the situation had severely impacted livestock rearing and farming activities.

“The security crisis in rural areas demands immediate and coordinated attention from all tiers of government to protect lives and livelihoods,” Gotomo stated.

43 herders killed in renewed vigilante attacks in Kebbi, Niger States

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Dozens killed as Boko Haram, ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad

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Dozens killed as Boko Haram, ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad

By: Zagazola Makama

Fresh clashes have erupted between fighters of Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), following the collapse of a short-lived truce between the rival terrorist groups.

Zagazola report that the long-standing rivalry between the Bakoura-led Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and ISWAP has degenerated into another violent phase with dozens of ISWAP fighters killed.

Sources said that the latest confrontation was part of an ongoing cycle of reprisal attacks that began after the killing of Abu Abass, a senior JAS tax collector, by ISWAP fighters in September. The discovery of the cause of his death reportedly infuriated Bakoura’s camp, prompting multiple revenge raids on ISWAP-held territories.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred on Saturday, Oct. 26, when a faction loyal to Mohammed Hassan, a top commander under the Bakoura-led JAS group, launched a coordinated attack on an ISWAP stronghold at Mangari, in the central area of the Lake Chad region, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The assault, carried out with multiple watercraft between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., resulted in the death of scores of ISWAP fighters and the capture of weapons and supplies. The attackers were said to have advanced from Toumbun Gini towards Abujan Ruwa, overpowering ISWAP’s defensive lines in the area.

Field assessment suggests that the JAS faction overpowered ISWAP during the offensive, seizing weapons and other valuable items. The exact number of casualties remains unclear due to the remoteness of the area and the ongoing movement of rival units across the Lake Chad islands as fatalities may be more.

According to sources, the renewed hostilities marks a significant breakdown in the fragile non-aggression pact earlier reached between the two extremist movements.

Earlier, on Oct. 8, JAS forces loyal to Bakoura launched a series of coordinated assaults on ISWAP elements in Toumbun Mairi, inflicting heavy losses. The Oct. 26 engagement at Mangari is believed to be a continuation of those retaliatory strikes.

“The Bakoura-led faction has vowed to avenge the killing of its members and commanders,” source told Zagazola. “They accuse ISWAP of betrayal after both sides had agreed to suspend hostilities.”sources said.

On the other hand, ISWAP units are currently converging for retaliatory operations. Commanders have been directed to coordinate major offensives and eliminate all Boko Haram members.

The rivalry between JAS and ISWAP has always been brutal. Whenever one faction suffers losses, it retaliates immediately, often spilling into civilian areas who sometimes get killed for trespassing in any of the acclaimed territories of the terrorists

Since the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021, the insurgency has splintered into competing factions, with intermittent periods of uneasy truce punctuated by bloody reprisals.

The Lake Chad Basin straddling Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon remains the epicentre of jihadist activity in the region, with both Boko Haram and ISWAP competing for control of key smuggling routes, fishing zones, and taxation points. The renewed infighting could further weaken the operational capacity of both groups but may also trigger intensified attacks against civilian targets as each side seeks to assert dominance.

Meanwhile, Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai have been placed on heightened alert, with operations ongoing to decimate the terrorists in their enclaves, prevent infiltration or coordinated assaults on military locations and civilian settlements in the North East.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
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Dozens killed as Boko Haram, ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad

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