Gunmen kill dozens in Nigeria’s Zamfara state gold mining village attack

Gunmen have killed at least 20 people in an attack on a gold mining village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, according to local residents and Amnesty International.

The attack took place in the village of Gobirawa Chali, located in the Maru local government area, where gunmen reportedly opened fire on miners on April 24 afternoon, sparking a violent firefight, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Although the exact motive for the attack remains unclear, Zamfara state has been grappling with persistent violence from armed gangs, who engage in kidnappings for ransom and often target both civilians and security forces.

The region has been a hotspot for such criminal activities, with armed groups operating from remote forests. Residents confirmed the deadly attack, with Ismail Hassan telling that hundreds of gunmen stormed the village, leading to the tragic loss of life. Another local, Isah Ibrahim, confirmed that 21 bodies had been recovered from the scene, and several more people were injured. 

Amnesty International issued a statement, noting that the gunmen conducted a house-to-house assault in the village, killing more than 20 people. Zamfara police have not yet responded to requests for comment on the attack. The violence is part of a broader security crisis in northwest Nigeria, where armed gangs have killed and kidnapped hundreds of people in recent years. 

The Nigerian military has struggled to effectively address the violence, with forces stretched thin across various regions of the country. In addition to the insecurity in Zamfara, Nigeria's military is also dealing with threats in other parts of the country, including an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, deadly farmer-herder conflicts in the central region, and separatist clashes in the south.

By Naila Huseynova