Reports indicate that bandits are moving freely in rural parts of Zamfara State, openly carrying assault rifles, collecting levies from residents, and controlling daily life in areas with minimal government security presence.
In communities like Dayau in Anka Local Government Area and Dolen Moriki in Zurmi Local Government Area, bandit groups have effectively established dominance, showing no fear of intervention from security forces. Residents live under their control, with little or no visible state authority to protect them.
Bandits reportedly patrol these communities openly, carrying AK-47 rifles and interacting with locals in public spaces. Security expert Bakatsine noted that on Fridays, they even attend congregational prayers armed, further normalising the presence of weapons and instilling fear among residents. In markets and shops, social interactions between gunmen and civilians occur under coercion rather than consent.
The absence of permanent police or military deployments, along with limited access to basic services such as electricity, has forced communities into a survival arrangement with the armed groups. Civilians are compelled to pay levies or supply food to the bandits under duress.
A resident explained, “We are forced to coexist with them. We do not even want the government to provoke them unless it can fully remove them. If security forces come and leave, the gunmen return to punish us through killings, abductions, and preventing farming.”
Temporary security interventions often trigger brutal reprisals once forces withdraw, leaving communities even more vulnerable. The persistent lack of permanent state presence has cemented the bandits’ control, allowing them to dictate daily life and entrench fear across the affected areas.
