Kaura Namoda Under Siege — How Terror Groups Tighten Their Grip on a Once-Thriving Agricultural Hub

For more than two decades, communities across Kaura Namoda Local Government Area (LGA) in Zamfara State have lived under the persistent shadow of terror.

What began as sporadic armed banditry has now evolved into a systematic structure of extortion, kidnapping, and killings, pushing residents to the brink and crippling economic life in one of Zamfara’s historically productive regions.

A Once-Luscious Agricultural Landscape in Ruins
Kaura Namoda, formerly celebrated as a power house of agricultural production, once contributed significantly to Zamfara’s food supply.

The area is naturally endowed with rich soils that supported crops such as guinea corn, millet, maize, cotton, and tobacco. Coupled with active livestock rearing, trade, and craft industries, the local economy flourished for many years.

Today, that vibrancy has been dimmed. Farms have been abandoned, markets deserted earlier than usual, and movement between villages has become a life-threatening gamble. Residents who once prided themselves on self-sufficiency now face hunger and displacement.

A REGION RICH IN RESOURCES BUT STRANGLED INSECURITY

Zamfara State is widely known for its vast solid mineral deposits—gold, iron ore, lithium, granite, kaolin, and feldspar. Yet, the exploitation of these resources has been a double-edged sword. Illegal mining, particularly around gold-rich sites, has been linked to the escalation of violent activities in the region.

The state’s 14 local government areas—Anka, Bakura, Birnin Magaji/Kiyaw, Bukkuyum, Bungudu, Chafe (Tsafe), Gummi, Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Magami, Maradun, Maru, Shinkafi, and Talata Mafara—are not equally affected, but Kaura Namoda remains one of the hardest hit.

Notably, the area hosts the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura-Namoda, a key educational institution now surrounded by communities struggling under fear and instability.

A NEW WAVE OF EXTORTION IN WALO DISTRICT

The latest development intensifying residents’ fear is the recent directive issued by terrorists to district heads (Hakimai) in the Walo axis. According to community sources, the bandits demanded a mandatory levy estimated at ₦14,000 per individual within the affected communities, an amount devastating for households already stripped of financial stability.

This structured extortion comes alongside continued threats of abduction, livestock theft, and targeted killings—tactics used to enforce compliance and punish resistance.

Local leaders, caught between the safety of their people and the wrath of these armed groups, find themselves in impossible positions.

BILLIONS IN SECURITY VOTES, YET INSECURITY DEEPENS

Residents express frustration and disbelief that such atrocities continue in a country where billions of naira are allocated monthly, quarterly or annually as security votes to federal, state, and local authorities. Despite this, the security situation in Kaura Namoda and across Zamfara worsens, leaving citizens feeling abandoned.

The disconnect between government spending and the reality on the ground raises critical questions about accountability, resource deployment, and the political will to end the crisis.

A COMMUNITY’S PLEA FOR SURVIVAL

As Kaura Namoda’s economy continues collapsing under the weight of terrorism, what remains is a resilient people demanding urgent and sustained action. Farmers want to return to their fields, traders want to reopen their shops, and families want the simple dignity of living without fear.
Until a comprehensive security strategy is implemented and effectively executed the future of Kaura Namoda’s communities remains uncertain.