Nigerian military kills 100+ bandits in northwest operation
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Over the weekend, a Nigerian military raid in Zamfara’s Makakkari forest killed more than 100 bandits, following a wave of kidnappings and violent attacks in northwest Nigeria.
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Military forces arrive to secure the presidential elections in Anambra, Nigeria, Friday, February 24, 2023 (AP)
In an air and ground raid over the weekend, the Nigerian military killed more than 100 members of a criminal gang, according to a conflict monitoring report prepared for the United Nations and obtained by AFP on Monday.
For years, armed groups referred to as "bandits" by locals have been terrorizing communities in northwest and central Nigeria, carrying out village raids, kidnapping residents for ransom, and looting and burning homes.
In the restive northwestern state of Zamfara, the military launched a raid "in the early hours" of Sunday in the Bukkuyum local government area, where fighter jets working alongside ground troops targeted a gathering of over 400 bandits at their Makakkari forest camp.
The report suggested that the military's attack "may have occurred in response to consecutive banditry, especially kidnapping, in the state in the previous month," while also noting a connection between a recent reduction in military operations in the state and the surge in bandit attacks.
On Friday, bandits attacked Bukkuyum's Adabka village, kidnapping residents and killing 13 security personnel.
According to the report, while bandits were preparing to attack a farming village, "air and ground troops ambushed a bandit camp... killing over 100"
The wild northwest
What began as clashes over land and water rights between herders and farmers in Nigeria has evolved into a full-blown "banditry" crisis, with the initial disputes transforming into organized criminal activity as armed gangs now systematically target vulnerable rural communities that have historically lacked meaningful government presence or protection.
In Nigeria's largely impoverished rural areas, cattle rustling and kidnapping have emerged as highly profitable criminal enterprises, while armed groups further exploit communities by imposing illegal taxes on farmers and artisanal miners.
This has exacerbated the region's instability as relentless attacks force populations to abandon their farms, deepening the already severe malnutrition crisis in the northwest.
Despite the military's ongoing campaign against criminal gangs since 2015 and the Zamfara state government's establishment of a militia force two years ago to combat the insurgency, the wave of violent attacks continues unabated across the region.
