At least 20 people were killed when gunmen attacked a gold mining village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, residents and Amnesty International have reported. The attack, which occurred Thursday afternoon in Gobirawa Chali village, marks yet another deadly incident in a region plagued by armed violence and insecurity.
According to Ismail Hassan, a local resident, hundreds of gunmen stormed the mining site and opened fire on miners and villagers. A fierce firefight ensued, resulting in significant casualties. “We have counted more than 20 bodies,” Hassan told Reuters. Another villager, Isah Ibrahim, reported that they had recovered 21 bodies, with many others injured in the attack.
Amnesty International condemned the violence in a statement, revealing that the attackers went house-to-house, killing residents indiscriminately. The human rights group called for urgent action to protect civilians and ensure accountability for such atrocities.
While the motive behind the attack remains unclear, Zamfara has long been a hotspot for armed gangs — often referred to locally as “bandits” — who carry out kidnappings for ransom, raids on villages, and attacks on security forces. These groups typically operate from remote forest areas, making it difficult for Nigeria’s overstretched military to respond effectively.
The country’s security forces are under immense strain, confronting multiple threats across Nigeria. In the northeast, they continue to battle Islamist insurgents; in the central belt, deadly clashes between farmers and herders persist; and in the south, separatist tensions remain high. This multi-front challenge has hampered efforts to restore order in regions like Zamfara.
The Zamfara State Police Command has yet to comment officially on the incident. Meanwhile, fear and grief hang heavily over Gobirawa Chali as families mourn their loved ones and worry about future attacks.
The latest massacre underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive security strategy to protect vulnerable communities and address the root causes fueling the violence. For now, residents of Zamfara and other affected states remain at the mercy of heavily armed gangs, highlighting the continuing instability in one of Africa’s most populous nations.
