At least nine farmers have been killed and several others abducted after armed bandits attacked a farming community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The latest assault, which occurred on Saturday around Kakangi village, is the latest in a series of attacks targeting farming communities across northern Nigeria during the rainy season.
According to a security report prepared for the United Nations and obtained by AFP, the attackers stormed farmlands on the outskirts of Kakangi village and opened fire on farmers working on their fields.
“Nine bodies have been recovered so far, with six of the victims identified by local authorities,” the report said.
However, Kabiru Ishaq, a community leader in Birnin Gwari who visited the community to sympathise with residents, said the death toll had risen to 10.
He explained that the attack was carried out in retaliation after local farmers reportedly killed a bandit who attempted to rob them earlier that day. The UN security report also attributed the assault to the same motive.
“The bandit’s accomplice ‘returned with reinforcements and launched a retaliatory assault’,” the report said.
Criminal gangs, widely referred to as bandits, have intensified attacks on rural communities in northern and central Nigeria in recent weeks.
The groups are known for kidnapping residents for ransom, stealing livestock, looting homes and imposing illegal levies on farming communities.
Kaduna remains one of the states most affected by the violence despite efforts to restore peace.
Although local authorities brokered a peace agreement with armed groups in Birnin Gwari in November 2024, attacks have continued across the district.
Last month, armed bandits reportedly killed at least six farmers and abducted 20 others during an attack on Danauta village in the same local government area, according to local sources.
