Local farmers were gruesomely murdered early Sunday morning when heavily armed bandits attacked Mamman Yarwa village in the Tabani Ward of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, Kaduna State, in yet another chilling reminder of the worsening insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s agrarian heartland. According to community sources, the victims were on their way to their farmlands when the attackers, suspected to be part of a local terror cell operating across Kaduna’s forested borderlines, intercepted and shot them dead. The sporadic gunfire from the bandits drew the attention of villagers, who quickly mobilized a search team, only to be met by a second ambush. “When the villagers tried to recover the bodies, the bandits re-appeared and opened fire again,” a resident told Dalena Reporters on condition of anonymity. “Everyone had to run for safety before the security agents later arrived.” Security personnel were eventually deployed to the area, allowing the recovery of the slain farmers’ remains. However, no arrests had been confirmed as of press time.
The Sunday assault adds to a disturbing series of bandit attacks recorded in Birnin Gwari over recent weeks. Just days earlier, six farmers were reportedly kidnapped from nearby farmlands in the same LGA, while other communities across Ikara and Giwa LGAs have faced similar ambushes targeting motorists, motorcyclists, and farm workers. Observers say the attackers’ pattern, striking twice within the same location, indicates growing boldness and tactical organization, emboldened by the slow pace of security response in remote settlements. The Kaduna State Police Command and local vigilante networks have repeatedly intensified patrols across flashpoints, but the vastness of the terrain and limited surveillance capacity continue to pose challenges to early detection and rapid intervention.
Farmers across Kaduna North-West now fear venturing into farmlands, especially in early morning or late evening hours, creating a looming threat to food production and livelihoods in a state once regarded as one of Nigeria’s most productive agricultural belts. “People are scared to farm. You can’t go out early or stay late in the field,” said another resident. “Even when the rains are good, hunger will still come because nobody wants to die in the bush.” Analysts warn that persistent attacks could deepen rural poverty, worsen internal displacement, and escalate food insecurity across northern Nigeria.
Experts urge the state government and federal authorities to strengthen intelligence-driven security operations, community alert systems, and farmer protection initiatives. They recommend establishing early-warning communication channels between rural residents and nearby military or police posts, deploying rapid-response patrols to protect farming clusters during planting and harvest seasons, and providing psychosocial and economic support for victims’ families and displaced persons. Until decisive action is taken, Birnin Gwari and many rural communities in Kaduna remain at the mercy of armed bandits whose reign of terror undermines national food security and social stability.
Dalena Reporters will continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as new information emerges.