From Sidi Ibrahim Kaulahi, Gusau
Armed bandits in their large numbers have invaded farm lands at Gidan Danjumma village under Birnin Magaji local government area of Zamfara State killing nine farmers who were out to beging their 2026 farming activities.
A local, who preferred anonymity for security reasons, revealed that the bandits had earlier sent a warning message to the village that, the inhabitants should not dare work on their farm lands for the 2026 wet season.
Following failure of many farmers in Gidan Danjumma village to heed to the warning issued by the bandits, the farm lands were stormed for this year’s wet season farming, the development which attracted the bandit’s invasion who surrounded the whole area and rained gunshots sporadically.
He narrated that nine farmers were instantly killed by the bandits with their corpses lying across some farm lands.
The armed bandits continued to chase those who escaped being killed at the scene as they ran helter skelter in struggle to disappear into the nearby forest.
“There is possiblity of the death toll to rise as many farmers are suspected to have escaped with gunshots wounds while those already on the run for survival have been faced with unexpected ambush by the bandits.
“For now, only nine of our people are confirmed dead so far while working on the farm lands, we don’t know what would have happened to others that took to their heels into the nearby forest, because the bandits pursued them on their bikes as they still shot sporadically.
“While the bandits invaded, they shout-out ‘noma haram’, meaning farming is prohibited, therefore, whoever defy our directive should consider himself dead, his wife widowed and his children would become orphans”, he narrated.
He further informed that, troops of the Nigerian Army, Police personnel, NSCDC corps and state owned Community Protection Guards (CPG) have been deployed to the village with a view to restore normalcy in the area.
