BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Twelve members of a family have lost their lives in one of the latest deadly attacks in Zamfara State, after armed bandits reportedly locked them inside a room and set the building on fire in Gidan Taba, Maradun Local Government Area.

The attack, which also resulted in the abduction of seven residents, has triggered fresh concerns over the protection of rural communities, particularly after residents claimed that repeated calls for security intervention failed to produce assistance before the attackers struck.

The incident happened on Saturday night in Dosara Birnin Kaya Ward, with the victims reportedly belonging to the household of Mallam Muhammadu Sani.

According to accounts from the community, Sani's family members had taken refuge in a room after the attackers invaded their residence. The group comprised Sani, his two wives and six children, as well as his younger brother's wife and their three children.

When the gunmen demanded that they open the door, the occupants reportedly refused, hoping the locked room would protect them from being taken away. The attackers subsequently set the room on fire.

Only the wife of Sani's younger brother survived, while the other 12 occupants died from the extreme heat and smoke.

The tragedy has raised questions about emergency security response in the area. Residents said they alerted Maradun Local Government Chairman, Sanusi Ahmed Dosara, who attempted to contact different security formations, but no personnel arrived before the family died.

They said the village is relatively close to established security facilities around Maradun, including a military base, a mobile police formation and a police headquarters.

One resident expressed disbelief that the community could suffer such a devastating attack despite being approximately one-and-a-half kilometres from the local government headquarters.

He also rejected claims that police reinforcement had been stationed in the village, saying officers only visited after the incident to obtain information before departing.

Seven other residents were reportedly taken away by the attackers. Although the council chairman said local vigilantes exchanged gunfire with the bandits and managed to secure the release of some captives, the exact number of those still being held was initially unclear.

Dosara, who led funeral prayers for the deceased on Sunday, described the incident as a painful loss, confirming that the victims died after the attackers set their room ablaze.

The Zamfara State Police Command, however, reported 11 deaths, one fewer than the figure given by residents and the local government chairman.

Police spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said the command received information about the attack from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

He also disclosed that Sani was actively involved in the community's vigilante operations and had played a significant role in efforts to prevent bandit attacks.

Abubakar said additional police personnel had been deployed to improve security in the affected community.

The killings have particular significance because they come amid growing attacks against people involved in local efforts to resist armed groups. Security analyst Kabiru Adamu believes the assault may have been intended as retaliation against Sani for his involvement in community defence.

Adamu, who chairs Beacon Security Consulting, warned that targeting the families of vigilante members could discourage other residents from cooperating with local security structures.

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He said such violence was designed to create fear and weaken communities' willingness to resist armed groups.

The analyst also criticised what he described as the apparent lack of urgency among political leaders in confronting insecurity, despite the increasing number of attacks across the North-West.

He called for intelligence-driven operations, stronger protection for vulnerable settlements, investigations into criminal financing and greater accountability among security authorities.

Another security expert, Dr Yahuza Getso, said the circumstances surrounding the Gidan Taba attack demanded a thorough investigation.

He questioned whether security agencies received distress calls, how quickly they responded and why the attackers were able to carry out the assault without being intercepted.

Getso also urged authorities to investigate the networks allegedly providing bandits with food, ammunition, shelter and other logistical support, arguing that the fight against insecurity must extend beyond those directly carrying weapons.

Zamfara's growing security burden

The Gidan Taba killings are part of a wider pattern of violence that has continued to affect communities across Zamfara, with repeated attacks leaving residents dead, injured, displaced or in captivity.

Humanitarian assessments and media reports between May and November 2026 have documented casualties and mass displacement in several local government areas, including Maru, Maradun, Gummi, Anka, Tsafe, Talata Mafara and Bukkuyum.

Among the major incidents was the June abduction of about 39 elders who had travelled to meet a notorious bandit leader in an attempt to negotiate peace and secure access to their farmlands.

In July, at least 24 farmers were reportedly killed in Sauna district of Talata Mafara, while attacks in Gummi forced thousands of residents to abandon their homes.

An assessment by the International Organisation for Migration documented 14,727 displaced people from 2,458 households following attacks on communities in Gummi in August.

Travellers have also continued to face attacks on major roads. In August, gunmen reportedly killed eight passengers and abducted eight others along the Gusau-Funtua highway.

October brought further attacks on security personnel and civilians. At least 14 soldiers and mobile police officers were reportedly killed during an assault on a military base in Bindin, Maru Local Government Area. Another attack on a convoy of traders in Bukkuyum reportedly claimed 20 lives.

Barely a week before the Gidan Taba incident, five police officers were killed in an ambush at Gidan Kano along the Gusau-Sokoto highway in Maradun. Telecommunications workers were also reportedly attacked around Tungan Tama, leaving one person dead and others injured.

The latest tragedy has therefore intensified concerns about the ability of security agencies to protect communities facing repeated attacks, particularly those whose residents have attempted to organise local resistance.

For the people of Gidan Taba, however, the immediate concern remains the loss of an entire household, the fate of those abducted and whether security authorities can prevent another attack.