A chilling wave of terror swept through Adabka Village in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State as heavily armed bandits launched a brazen, unprovoked attack on Thursday night, kidnapping an unknown number of residents and sparking a deadly confrontation with valiant security forces.
The brutal assault, which commenced around 8:32 p.m., has left the beleaguered community reeling in its wake, with four hostages miraculously rescued but nine security operatives – comprising two Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel and seven Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) members – reported tragically missing after a fierce and protracted gun battle.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the bandits descended on the village outskirts in large numbers, overwhelming the area with their firepower.
These ruthless attackers, part of the notorious armed groups plaguing Nigeria’s northwest, meticulously targeted residents in a coordinated raid, a chilling pattern consistent with the region’s escalating banditry crisis that has cast a long, dark shadow over countless lives.
Zamfara State has, regrettably, become a persistent hotspot for such devastating attacks, with bandits exploiting vast, ungoverned spaces to carry out widespread abductions for ransom, rampant cattle rustling, and horrific acts of violence with seemingly boundless impunity.
Joint security forces, ever vigilant and stationed in the embattled area, responded with commendable rapidity, engaging the bandits in a prolonged and desperate firefight that raged under the cloak of night.
The intense clash ultimately resulted in the successful rescue of four abducted villagers, a small, yet profound, victory in the face of overwhelming odds and the sheer brutality of the assault.
However, this critical operation came at a steep and heart-wrenching cost: two PMF officers and seven Civilian JTF members remain tragically unaccounted for, raising profound fears that they may have been killed, captured, or simply lost amidst the chaotic maelstrom of the battle.
Security sources, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of ongoing operations, have confirmed that extensive search and rescue efforts are now vigorously underway to locate the missing operatives and ascertain the fate of any additional abducted residents.
The harrowing incident starkly underscores the relentless and pervasive danger faced by both dedicated security forces and local vigilantes across Zamfara, a region where banditry has claimed thousands of innocent lives and tragically displaced tens of thousands more from their ancestral homes.
A sobering 2024 report by the International Crisis Group noted with grave concern that over 8,000 people were killed or abducted in northwest Nigeria between 2020 and 2023, with Zamfara tragically counted among the hardest hit states.
A Region Under Siege
Adabka Village’s recent ordeal is but the latest in a relentless string of attacks that have systematically terrorized Zamfara communities, leaving a trail of despair and destruction. Bandits, often operating from vast and impenetrable forest enclaves like the notorious Kamuku and Kuyambana forests, have effectively turned the state into a brutal battleground, targeting rural villages with shocking impunity.
Web sources further indicate that similar raids in 2025 have already led to hundreds of abductions, with the insidious cycle of ransom payments serving to fuel the bandits’ increasingly sophisticated and devastating operations.
The Nigerian government’s concerted efforts, including various military operations and attempts at negotiated peace deals, have yielded frustratingly mixed results, with critics arguing vociferously that poorly armed Civilian JTF units are woefully ill-equipped and outmatched to confront heavily armed groups wielding sophisticated, military-grade weaponry.
Residents of Adabka, already burdened by years of relentless violence and profound uncertainty, now face a heightened and pervasive sense of fear. A local source, quoted poignantly on X, described the attack as “a nightmare that keeps repeating,” noting with raw anguish that villagers now live in constant dread of the unholy terror of night raids.
The tragic loss of nine security operatives has further eroded public confidence, with some users on X openly questioning the fundamental safety of those bravely tasked with protecting vulnerable communities from this escalating nightmare