Suspected terrorists launched a violent assault on Kucheri community in Zamfara State on Monday, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that sent residents fleeing in fear.
A chilling video of the incident was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, who frequently reports on security challenges in northern Nigeria.
In the footage obtained by SaharaReporters, terrified villagers—including women and children—were seen running for their lives as gunshots rang out across the area. The panic-stricken crowd could be heard offering Islamic prayers for divine protection. Amid the chaos, a distressed male voice cried out in Hausa while others repeated the phrase, “Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un”—an Islamic expression used in times of distress, meaning, “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.”
This latest attack follows a deadly ambush reported last week, in which several Nigerian military personnel were killed while attempting to thwart a bandit invasion along a highway in Zamfara. Among the fallen was an officer identified as Lieutenant Isma’il Yahya.
In another recent incident, gunmen invaded Tofa village in the Magami district of Gusau Local Government Area, killing more than 15 residents. The village, located near the state capital, has faced repeated assaults from bandits, forcing many residents to flee due to extortion and the lack of adequate security.
“The attackers struck on Sunday and ambushed military forces. Several soldiers were killed. Their families have been notified, although the army has not issued a public statement,” a local source told SaharaReporters. “In Tofa, over 15 people were slaughtered, others sustained injuries, and some are still missing.”
Zamfara remains one of the northern states most affected by banditry, with armed groups routinely raiding rural communities, destroying homes, stealing livestock, and taking lives. These groups are believed to operate from heavily forested hideouts stretching across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states.
In recent years, they have also carried out numerous mass kidnappings of schoolchildren, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the region.
