Residents of several communities in Zamfara State are fleeing their homes after rivalries among armed groups, retaliatory raids and extortion demands turned parts of the Dansadau Emirate into a dangerous zone for farmers, miners and other civilians.

The latest wave of violence has left scores of miners dead, forced residents to abandon their communities and exposed civilians to attacks linked to disputes between bandits and local vigilante groups.

One of the most devastating incidents occurred on October 5, when a notorious bandit leader, Dankarami Gwaska, and his fighters attacked a military base and mining sites in Bindin ward, Maru Local Government Area.

The assault reportedly killed 14 soldiers and mobile police officers, while the attackers looted weapons from the base.

The following day, Gwaska’s representatives reportedly approached Bindin residents and demanded compensation for weapons his group had lost after some of its fighters were killed in the area days earlier.

Residents said the fighters were killed by rival armed groups rather than security personnel.

Gwaska’s men subsequently attacked miners in Bindin, killing scores of people in what residents described as retaliation for the deaths of his fighters. The bandit leader also imposed a ₦50 million protection levy on Bindin and neighbouring farming communities.

Community members and security sources told Premium Times that the group collected approximately ₦360 million in protection payments within two weeks of overrunning the military base.

The collapse of the military presence has also left residents increasingly vulnerable. According to local accounts, the base had served as the community’s principal line of defence, and its destruction prompted nearly the entire population to flee.

Photographs and videos shared by residents reportedly showed miners and other locals leaving in heavily overloaded vehicles as insecurity spread across the area.

Gwaska, who is known for attacks, cattle rustling and kidnappings in Zurmi Local Government Area, reportedly moved into Dansadau after facing pressure from security forces and rival bandit leader Bello Turji.

Local sources said he established control over mining locations, including the gold-rich Bindin area, and reached arrangements with mining operators that required them to surrender part of their earnings.

He also reportedly negotiated separate peace agreements with communities including Dan Kurmi, Bindin and Gobirawa Chali, as well as areas extending towards Magami.

The arrangements brought a period of relative calm that attracted more than 10,000 people to Dansadau to work in its gold mines, according to residents and security sources.

Under the reported arrangement, labourers retained one-third of the gold they extracted, while the operating entity received the remaining two-thirds.

Tensions escalated after Gwaska’s group allegedly increased the levies imposed on workers. Clashes followed, leaving several of his fighters dead.

Although rival bandit groups were suspected of being responsible, Gwaska reportedly blamed the miners and the military, triggering the October 5 attack on the military installation and mining grounds.

Bindin’s location near the Kwiambana forest, which stretches across areas connecting Zamfara with neighbouring states, provides armed groups with cover from security operations. The forest has become a major hideout for bandits moving abducted people and rustled cattle.

The violence extends beyond Bindin. Residents also described attacks linked to another bandit leader known as Rambo, who allegedly sought revenge after local vigilantes killed some of his lieutenants in Yantasha and seized their firearms.

According to accounts gathered by Premium Times, Rambo wrote to the community demanding the return of the weapons. The vigilantes reportedly refused, challenging him to recover them by force.

Rather than limit his response to Yantasha, the bandit leader allegedly targeted other communities, including Yar Gada, Mai Kogo, Magama and Mai Rake, leaving casualties and forcing residents to flee.

Rambo also threatened to shut down the Magami–Dansadau highway unless he received ₦50 million in compensation.

The threat was followed by the planting of improvised explosive devices along the route, forcing commuters to avoid the road for three days before troops cleared the explosives on October 9.

Aliyu Danja, an army spokesperson for Operation Fasan Yamma, confirmed that troops had discovered two locations containing explosive devices along the Magami–Hannutara–Dansadau road in Maru Local Government Area.

The military said its explosive ordnance disposal team safely detonated one device and recovered and neutralised another.

The road remained dangerous. A day after the clearance operation, Rambo’s fighters reportedly ambushed a civilian convoy travelling from Dansadau to Gusau under military escort, killing several travellers and setting vehicles ablaze.

A bandit leader claimed responsibility for the burning of a vehicle and threatened further attacks unless the vigilantes returned the seized firearms.

He threatened to burn 250 vehicles, accusing vigilantes of killing members of his group and taking their weapons.

Residents caught between bandits and vigilantes

Nuhu Babangida, a Dansadau community leader and member of the Leadway Peace Foundation for Human Rights Advocates, said civilians were paying the highest price for confrontations between armed groups and local vigilantes.

He said several bodies were yet to be recovered from the Bindin mining site, where he alleged that miners had been trapped and shot by the attackers.

Babangida argued that vigilante operations against bandits often triggered reprisals against communities that had little control over the confrontations.

He said residents were frequently targeted after vigilantes attacked armed groups during periods of relative calm, leaving ordinary people to suffer the consequences.

The community leader also raised concerns about the possible political dimension of the insecurity, alleging that some politicians exploit violence to disrupt elections in areas where they face opposition.

He claimed that attacks could be deliberately encouraged in political strongholds to prevent electoral activities and give rival candidates an advantage.

Police spokesperson in Zamfara State, Yazid Abubakar, and army spokesperson Aliyu Danja could not be reached for further comments on the broader allegations at the time the report was filed.

Meanwhile, the reported killings, extortion demands and mass displacement have left residents in the affected communities facing immediate threats to their safety and livelihoods, with civilians caught between armed bandits and vigilante groups operating across the Dansadau axis.