At least 50 people killed and several women and children abducted during an overnight assault on a village in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara State, according to authorities and residents.
The attack on Tungan Dutse village in the Bukkuyum area began late on Thursday night and continued into Friday morning. Witnesses reported that armed men arrived on motorcycles, set fire to buildings, and began abducting residents, reports Al Jazeera.
Hamisu A Faru, a lawmaker representing Bukkuyum South, confirmed the death toll, stating that the attackers moved from village to village. Speaking on Friday, Faru noted that the exact number of those abducted remains unclear as local officials are still compiling a list of the missing.
Residents claimed that warning signs were visible prior to the massacre. Abdullahi Sani, 41, who lost three family members in the attack, said villagers had alerted security forces after spotting more than 150 motorcycles carrying armed men a day earlier, but no action was taken. “No one slept yesterday; we are all in pain,” Sani added.
The region continues to struggle with overlapping security threats from armed criminal gangs and rebel fighters. Only last week, raids in the Borgu area of Niger State resulted in at least 46 deaths, with the deadliest assault occurring in Konkoso village, where 38 residents were killed.
The escalating crisis has led to increased international involvement. Nigeria recently expanded security cooperation with the United States, following accusations from President Donald Trump that the country had failed to stop the killing of Christians.
Earlier this week, the Nigerian military confirmed the arrival of 100 US soldiers tasked with training local forces. Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, stated that the US troops would provide “technical support” and “intelligence sharing” to help combat “terrorist organisations”.
He emphasised that the US personnel would not engage directly in combat and would operate under Nigerian command.
