An attack attributed to suspected bandits has killed 17 people in Zamfara state, northwestern Nigeria. The victims include 12 soldiers and five miners.
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The incident occurred near the village of Bidin, in the Marou area, where a group of dozens of armed men traveling on motorcycles attacked an illegal gold mine, according to two Agence France-Presse sources in the area.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers first executed five miners and then headed toward the village, where they encountered army troops. The ensuing gun battle left 12 soldiers dead.
“In this attack, the bandits killed 17 people: 12 soldiers and five miners,” said Abdullahi Musa Mutunji, the village adviser.
Mutunji said the attack may have been an act of revenge following the killing of a bandit who had pressured the miners and demanded a share of the gold they had extracted.
The miners had disarmed and killed him. He was suspected of being a member of the group led by Guaska Dankarami, which controls the area.
Lawan Wanjam, who lost his son in the incident, said Dankarami mobilized his men as soon as he learned of the killing.
“They killed 12 soldiers and five miners, including my son,” he told AFP.
Residents said the community had previously reached a ceasefire agreement with Dankarami. However, they said his men continued to threaten villagers and demand shares of the gold extracted by the miners.
The Nigerian army did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the attack.
Illegal gold mining is seen as one of the main sources fueling the activities of bandits in northwestern and central Nigeria.
Armed groups seek to take control of the mines and claim a share of the extracted gold. Disputes over the issue often turn into violence between rival gangs or between gangs and miners.
Guaska Dankarami was suspected of being one of the three organizers of the kidnapping of more than 300 students from an all-boys boarding school in neighboring Katsina state in December 2020.
The students were released a week later after the authorities paid a ransom.
