More than 50 people were kidnapped in a mass abduction by gunmen in Sabon Garin Damri village, Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, according to a private conflict monitoring report for the United Nations. This incident, the first of its kind this year in Bakura local government area, signals a troubling escalation in the tactics of armed groups in the region.

Referred to as “armed bandits” in the report, these criminal gangs have long plagued rural communities across northwest Nigeria, carrying out kidnappings for ransom, looting villages, and imposing taxes on locals. While such violence was initially rooted in disputes over land and water between farmers and herders, it has since evolved into widespread organized crime.

The situation is compounding humanitarian challenges. With increasing attacks, thousands have been displaced from their farms, worsening food insecurity and malnutrition. The crisis has been further aggravated by climate change and reductions in international aid.

Last month, the brutality of these groups was underscored when bandits killed 33 kidnapped victims despite receiving a ransom, and three infants reportedly died in captivity.

Security experts have also noted a growing cooperation between financially motivated bandit groups and jihadist insurgents operating in Nigeria’s northeast. The emergence of jihadist factions like the Lakurawa group in the northwest has intensified violence and forced state governments to enlist anti-jihadist militias to combat the threat.

While the Nigerian military has recently made gains, including the killing of 95 gang members in Niger State, ongoing operations are stretched thin and have faced criticism for civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes.

The Zamfara State police have yet to comment on the latest kidnapping, but the alarming scale and increasing frequency of such attacks underscore the urgent need for a coordinated and comprehensive response to Nigeria’s growing security crisis.