Sabongarin Damri, a farming hamlet in north-west Nigeria’s Zamfara State, turned into a war-zone after dark on Saturday when a column of gunmen throttled in on motorbikes, rifles blazing. By the time the engines faded, 11 villagers lay dead and at least 70 people—mostly women and children—had vanished into the surrounding scrub, witnesses told reporters on Monday.
“They fired in every direction, then bundled our daughters onto the bikes,” said resident Isa Sani, adding that the village has had no word from the captors since.
“I was hit in the leg while my wife was taken,” recalled Sufiyanu Ibrahim, speaking by phone from a clinic.
The region has become Nigeria’s kidnapping heartland. Loosely organised gangs—dubbed “bandits” in local parlance—roam the bush, raiding settlements, torching crops, and ransoming hostages for cash and fuel. Sabongarin Damri’s traditional ruler, Shehu Musa, counted “more than sixty” captives after a hurried roll-call, warning the figure could rise once families in hiding surface.
Police headquarters in Zamfara had yet to issue a statement at the time of writing. Rural communities, meanwhile, brace for the next night-time roar of engines.
