The blood-spilling bandits that are terrorizing the North-Western axis of Nigeria are busy reducing the population of Zamfara State, and turning the heroic struggle of the peoples of the state for autonomy into a humanitarian nightmare.
In 2021, the population of the state was estimated at 9.279 million, more than doubling from its previous year’s figure of 4.1 million with 800,000 children under five.
An eyewitness, however, told the BBC Hausa Service that three villages in the state -Rafin Danya, Kurfa and Rafin Gero – were completely burnt down by the menacing bandits. It was also gathered that the villages suffered heavy casualties.
Over the years, the people of Zamfara struggled for self-determination. But, it was not until 1996 that the then military administration of the late General Sani Abacha detached the Zamfara from Sokoto State with an area of 38,418 square kilometres. The first Governor was Jibril Yakubu.
The area today called Zamfara was one of the old states like Kano, Katsina, Gobir, Kabi and Zazzau. The earliest inhabitants of Zamfara were said to have been hunters and giants. They, according to Wikipedia, established their first settlement at Dutsi which was the first capital of Zamfara.
It extends up to the bend of River Rima to the north-west and River Ka in the south-west. Zamfara Kingdom was established in the 11th century and flourished up to the 16th century as a city-state. Its capital has shifted with the fortunes of the kingdom from place to place like Dutsi and Birnin Zamfara.
In the first half of the 18th century, its then capital Birnin Zamfara, was destroyed by the Gobir Kingdom and a new capital was established in Anka by the second half of the 19th century. Zamfara had many centres of commerce and scholarship that attracted many scholars like the Yandoto city.
It became part of the Sokoto Caliphate after the 1804 jihad by Usman dan Fodio. In fact, Usman Danfodiyo settled in Sabon Gari where Sarkin Zamfara Abarshi had already established a garrison headquarters during the early days of his Jihad as a base from where fought Gobir and Kabi.
At the wake of British colonialism, the emerging town of Gusau became an important commercial and administrative centre with road and rail networks passing through it. With the creation of states during the Gowon Administration, Zamfara Kingdom became part of the then North-West state and later the Sokoto State.
Now, over 200 persons were said to have been killed in the Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas by fleeing bandits. They were reportedly fleeing as a result of ongoing military operations.
Local sources say they were trying to leave the state with a large number of animals when they attacked some villages in the two local government areas, killing over 200 people in the process. The attacked villages are Rafin Danya, Barayar Zaki, Rafin Gero and Kurfa.
An indigene of the area, who gave his name as Mohammed Kurfa, said he was in his village when the bandits arrived, pointing out that they came with over 3,000 cattle and were trying to leave the state when members of a vigilante group tried to engage them in a gun battle.
“When they were seen approaching the village, the vigilante group members came out to defend the people of the village, but they were overpowered by the bandits, who were moving in large numbers.
“They killed many of the vigilante group members and also set the village on fire and killed many people, mostly women and children.
“The other neighbouring villages of Rafin Danya, Barayar Zaki and Rafin Gero were also attacked at the same time and it was discovered that more than 200 persons lost their lives”, he said.
Though there was no immediate reaction from the state Commissioner for Security, Mamman Tsafe, there are concerns that the humanitarian challenges in the troubled state are growing.
