Several farmers have reportedly been abducted after suspected bandits stormed farmlands in the Wasagu and Dadin Kowa areas of Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area (LGA) of Kebbi State, in the latest of a string of attacks to hit the volatile border region.
The development was disclosed on Saturday by security analyst and crisis reporter Bakatsine, a widely followed X (formerly Twitter) handle that has become a go-to early source for reports of banditry across Nigeria’s North-West.
Citing local sources, Bakatsine said armed men had invaded the farming communities and seized an unspecified number of farmers while they worked their fields.
According to the account, the attacks took place on Wednesday and Thursday, when gunmen reportedly stormed the farms in two separate but closely linked incidents. As of the time of filing, the exact number of victims, their identities, and their current condition and whereabouts had not been independently confirmed by security agencies or local government officials.
The reported abductions are the latest in a long line of attacks to hit Danko-Wasagu, an LGA that sits close to the Kebbi-Zamfara border and has for years been a flashpoint for banditry in the North-West.
The area encompassing communities such as Wasagu, Bena, Gandun Wasagu, Danmuntari, and Waje has repeatedly suffered mass abductions, killings and cattle raids, with armed groups frequently said to cross over from neighboring Zamfara State to strike.
Residents in the affected communities said the recurring nature of the attacks has left many too afraid to return to their farms, raising fears over food security in a region where agriculture remains the primary livelihood.
Locals described a growing sense of helplessness, noting that farming, an unavoidable, open-air activity that leaves them exposed to ambush despite the presence of military, police, and vigilante operations in the area.
The latest incidents add to mounting frustration over the effectiveness of ongoing security operations in Kebbi State. Despite a sustained deployment of troops, police tactical units, and local vigilantes to the Danko-Wasagu axis, attacks have continued at a troubling pace, prompting renewed calls from residents, community leaders, and civil society voices for a more robust and coordinated response.
Community members and observers are pressing security agencies and state authorities to move swiftly to secure the release of the abducted farmers and to reinforce protection for rural communities that remain exposed to attack.
Questions are also being raised about the broader toll of insecurity on agricultural output in a state and a wider North-West region where farming communities have increasingly had to weigh the risk of abduction or death against the need to plant and harvest.
As of press time, there has been no official confirmation or statement from the Kebbi State Police Command or the Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area on the specific Wednesday and Thursday incidents. This report will be updated as more details emerge.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Danko-Wasagu’s farmers are being abducted faster than security forces can protect them, and until that changes, the region’s food security and its people’s safety will keep hanging in the balance.
