Terror Kingpin Gives 14-Day Ultimatum, Threatens 300 Deaths In Zamfara

A terror leader known as Nasanda has threatened to avenge the death of his wife, her uncle, and aunt by killing 300 persons in the Talata Mafara Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria.

Nasanda, who camps deep within Dumburu forest of Zamfara, said he is giving the government 14 days to compensate him with the sum of N30 million, N10 million per person lost, after which they (government) are to punish Yan Sa Kai and make sure they do not kill Fulanis or ‘bandits’.

The terror kingpin, in an audio recording obtained by HumAngle, narrated how his new bride, her uncle, and aunt were killed by Yan Sa Kai, a vigilante group outlawed by the state government for extrajudicial killings of Fulanis they accuse of associating with terrorists in the region.

“At about 11 midnight in Mafara, Yan Sa Kai killed my wife, her elderly uncle and aunt,” he began. His wife and aunt had been killed instantly. But the uncle was cut around his ankles and left for dead until the following day when he was rushed to the hospital.

“He was being given water and blood transfusion before he died two weeks later at Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto,” he continued.

Nasanda pointed out that if it was a matter of money and he wanted to be greedy, he would ask for N50 million per person, but it was just a matter of getting compensated for the injustice done, he claimed. He added that going by the arms he and his group had at their disposal, which was not less than N100 million, it is clear they are not paupers.

“I’m not giving months but 14 days for my demands to be met. And we will not attack until they are preparing to farm; then, we will camp in their communities.

“If our Fulani people are left in peace, we will also leave others in peace. If the government can’t pay the money, I will do what I am used to doing.”

Antecedents

HumAngle gathered that before the Nasanda family incident, Fulani leaders had complained that at Mafara market, at least seven Fulanis were killed in the past five months.

In 2021, when Nasanda’s son was killed, he [Nasanda] killed a hundred people in retaliation. In the same year, when the government interfered when he was fighting with Nagala, another ‘bandit,’ it resulted in Nasanda’s kidnapping of students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Marafa part of the state. He only released his victims after the payment of a huge ransom.

Young, probably in his late twenties, Nasanda uses a lot of children in his army. “Most of those who follow him are as young as 15 years,” a source told HumAngle. “The person that holds a gun close to him is his son, who is 14. So he has many children under him who possess a great desire to kill.”

“Before now, I usually did not kill women, but this time around, when we attack settlements, I will invite bandits from Dumburu, Ajam and everywhere. I will ensure they kill women they come across this time around,” Nasanda said.

He swore by Allah that if this is not done, “that area in Mafara will not farm. We’ll camp in those communities and drive the people until the farming season is over.”

On April 11, 2022, the police announced the release of 39 abductees from terrorists’ enclaves within Zamfara State. The victims, who are indigenes of Bungudu and Maru, were freed from a terror camp in Dabar Magaji located at Kadanya forest, between Kaura Namoda and Maradun LGAs.

In a related development, on April 10, 2022, the military of Sector One of Operation Hadarin Daji, operating at Dogon Kade axis of Kaura Namoda LGA, arrested four outlawed vigilante members allegedly invading Dogon Kade market where traders, including Fulanis, were attacked.

The banning of the Yan Sa Kai vigilante group’s activities in 2020 resulted in more terror attacks on Zamfara communities as citizens complained that there were not enough security personnel to secure their lives.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this report wrongly stated the figure as 900, instead of 300.