This archive report was first published on 7 October 2021.
Published on October 7, 2021, a report from northwest Nigeria revealed a devastating wave of violence that has left at least 73 people dead in just two days.
The military's efforts to combat bandits in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto states have been ongoing for three weeks, with many bandits fleeing and targeting soft spots.
On Tuesday night, armed bandits attacked Tsulluwa and Satiru villages, killing 38 people, while 19 others lost their lives in a raid on Kuryar Madaro village.
Gunmen also struck Yasore, Katsina State, killing 16 people and injuring many others on Wednesday night.
Residents who fled the attacks in Tsulluwa and Satiru have taken refuge in Tozai, a nearby village with a camp for internally displaced persons.
The attack on Kuryar Madaro village in Zamfara State came just 24 hours after the police commissioner, Mr Ayuba Elkana, visited special force operatives stationed along the Shinkafi-Kaura Namoda road.
The gunmen, riding motorcycles, looted and burnt houses, and stole cattle from the villages.
According to the International Organization for Migration, over 50,000 people have fled their homes in the northwest since January 2020, with more than 80,000 additional people seeking refuge in neighboring Niger over the past two years.
