At least 15 farmers were killed in northwest Nigeria’s Kebbi State in the latest deadly assault by armed gangs, commonly referred to as bandits. The attack, which occurred on Thursday in the village of Aje, also left three others injured, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Confirming the death toll on Sunday, NEMA official Aliyu Kafindangi said the incident was part of a worrying pattern of violence that has plagued the region. The Kebbi State government issued its own statement acknowledging the killings, with Deputy Governor Umar Abubakar Tafida announcing a compensation package of 24 million Naira (approximately €13,000) to be distributed among the families of the victims and the wounded.
Kebbi is among several states in northern Nigeria heavily affected by the growing threat of criminal gangs who routinely raid rural communities. These groups often kill or abduct residents for ransom, loot property, and destroy homes in a cycle of violence that has continued unabated.
While northwest Nigeria struggles with these criminal gangs, the country’s northeast remains gripped by a long-running insurgency. Since 2009, militant groups such as Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have been responsible for over 40,000 deaths and have displaced more than two million people.
Adding to the week’s bloodshed, at least 17 fishermen and farmers were reportedly killed by Boko Haram militants on the same day as the Kebbi massacre. Military sources confirmed the attack occurred in Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency.
