Death Toll Rises To 23 As Bandits Attack Zamfara Farmers

The death toll from a daylight attack by bandits on farmlands in Sauna District, Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara State has risen to 23, community sources confirmed yesterday.

Earlier reports put the number of those killed at 16. According to fresh accounts from the Sauna District, the figure increased after more bodies were recovered from the farms.

Residents said the victims were attacked while working on their farmlands yesterday morning. The attackers, who arrived on multiple motorcycles, reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on anyone found in the fields.

“Many others are still reported missing,” a community source told reporters. “The assailants came in groups and shot at farmers without warning.”

In the aftermath, the remains of all 23 victims were given mass burial after Islamic rites at the palace of the District Head in Sauna early yesterday, the source said.

As of press time, security authorities had not spoken on the incident. The Zamfara State Police Command and other security agencies could not be reached for more details.

Sauna District and other parts of Talata Mafara LGA have experienced repeated attacks on farming communities in recent years, with the residents often targeted on their farms.

Community leaders in Sauna have called for increased security presence in rural areas to protect farmers during the planting and harvest seasons.