By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

The night air in Tadurga village was thick with gunfire and screams. Under the cover of darkness, entire families fled into the wilderness on barefoot, others with only the clothes on their backs, searching desperately for safety.

Many found it not in their homes, nor in police outposts, but among the gravestones of a nearby cemetery.

This was no ordinary night. For residents of Tadurga and Kyabu/Kandu wards in Zuru and Danko/Wasagu Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, the horror began around 3 p.m. on Monday, June 16, 2025, when armed bandits riding in convoys of motorcycles roared into their communities, leaving behind a trail of blood, fire, and sorrow.

A Long Night of Terror

Samaila Idris, a teacher at Government Day Secondary School in Tadurga, is still shaken as he recounts the events. “They came from the Zamfara axis over 100 motorcycles, some carrying two or three armed men each. They fired their guns non-stop, rustled our cattle, and burned homes,” he said over the phone.

As the bandits moved through the area, panic spread like wildfire. “We ran alongside police officers and hide inside the cemetery. That’s where many of us slept, listening to the sounds of gunfire all night.”

By dawn, at least 17 people lay dead. Among them was Pastor Joseph Danzaria of a local church in Tadurga Dutse. Diggoro village lost five people, two more were killed in central Tadurga, and nine died in 'Yarkuka, another settlement in the same ward. Several homes were set ablaze. Shops were looted, and three residents an elderly man aged 70, another aged 60, and a 20-year-old were kidnapped.

“No one came,” said another survivor, Abubakar Iliyasu. “No military, no police. They only showed up in two trucks by 1 p.m. the next day, long after the bandits had gone. It’s shameful.”

A Community in Shock

Across the Kyabu/Kandu area, the story was no different. District Head Alhaji Kabiru Garba said Kyabu came under attack around 3 p.m. Monday, even before the Tadurga assault. “Six people were killed here, four from one family, two from another,” he said. “Then they moved on to other villages.”

The District Head said the full number of those kidnapped is still unknown, as many residents have fled to Zuru in fear, with entire households now missing.

“Yalmo Shindi and Dago Karkara also recorded one death each,” he added. “This isn’t just a security issue anymore it’s a humanitarian crisis.”

The local councillor, Hon. Shuaibu Ibrahim, said he was in Ribah when the attack happened and immediately began reaching out to security agencies. “We did what we could, but it was already too late. They came, they killed, they vanished.”

Conflicting Casualty Figures

While survivors and community leaders confirmed 17 deaths, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), gave a more staggering figure. In a statement issued through his media aide, Mohammed Bello Dokab, Malami said nearly 200 people had been killed in the attacks.

“It is with a deeply saddened heart that we address the grievous and barbaric attack that has befallen our beloved people in Tadurga,” the statement read. “This is a national tragedy that demands urgent action. The lack of roads, healthcare, education, and effective security in these communities is no longer tolerable.”

Malami called on federal and state authorities to rise to the occasion and deliver justice, aid, and infrastructure to the affected communities.

Government Yet to Respond

As of the time of filing this report, the Kebbi State Government had yet to issue an official response. Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Kebbi State Police Command, Nafiu Abubakar, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages remained unanswered.

The silence has only deepened the frustration of residents who feel abandoned and exposed.

With hundreds displaced and entire villages in mourning, Kebbi’s rural belt is once again grappling with the harsh reality of insecurity. Schools have closed, farms lie deserted, and survivors live in fear of another wave of attacks.

“We cannot keep living like this,” Idris said. “We are Nigerians. We deserve protection. We deserve peace.”

Until then, the graves in Tadurga's cemetery may remain more than just resting places they may become sanctuaries in a land where the living no longer feel safe in their own homes.

• PHOTO: Displaced villagers attacked by bandits in Tadurga, Kyabu/Kandu ward in an IDP camp in Dubai, Zuru LGA, Kebbi State. Source: Zuru Patriotic Forum