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| Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigh |
Amnesty International (AI) has said insecurity is escalating in Zamfara State, with over 372 people killed since January 2018.
In a statement Tuesday, the Director of AI Nigeria, Ms. Osai Ojigho, said daily killings and kidnappings by armed bandits had left villagers in constant fear of attack.
“This is Nigeria’s forgotten conflict. The authorities’ failure to act has left villagers in Zamfara at the mercy of armed bandits, who have killed hundreds of people over the course of two bloody years. Ojigho said thousands of people had been displaced by conflict which began in 2012 as a result of clashes between farmers and herders.
“When we visited the region, villagers told us that they had pleaded with the government to help them after receiving warning letters from the bandits ahead of attacks but had received no protection. The Nigerian authorities have repeatedly claimed to be tackling the situation, but the mounting death toll tells a different story.
“On Friday 27 July, 18 villages in the Mashema, Kwashabawa and Birane districts of Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state were attacked, leaving at least 42 people dead. At least 18,000 residents of the affected villages who were displaced over the weekend are now taking refuge at various locations in the local government headquarters. The following day a further 15 people were kidnapped in Maradun local government area,” Ojigho said.
Thisday
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