Amnesty International has raised the alarm over the persisting inefficiency of government and security authorities in ensuring the safety of lives and property in Zamfara.

Amnesty, in a statement on Thursday, denounced how Zamfara residents have continued to pay an inestimable price for the enduring failure of concerned authorities, as bandits control 725 villages in 13 Zamfara local government areas.

According to Amnesty International, Zamfara residents have continued to pay the price of the government’s security failure with their lives, with more villages being raided by gunmen, people being abducted, making it difficult for people to cultivate their farms. 

“This is Nigeria’s forgotten conflict,” said the rights organisation.

It noted that repeated attacks in the state have forced residents to live in helpless fear, as gunmen continue to impose unlawful levies and fixed deadlines.

“Across Zamfara state, attacks occur daily, with multiple attacks sometimes taking place in a single day. Residents of villages in Zamfara state told Amnesty International that gunmen also impose levies on them via phone calls, with the warning that failure to pay by a given deadline will be punished with death. 

“Military interventions and deployments have failed to end the killings. Villagers have been describing feeling helpless and on edge, constantly bracing themselves for attacks,” the statement revealed.

It added that in the last two years, over 273 people had been killed and 467 people abducted. 

“Since the beginning of the security crisis, bandits have sacked 638 villages across, while 725 villages are under the control of bandits, across 13 local governments of Zamfara state. On 24 June, gunmen slaughtered 9 people at Wanke district,” stated Amnesty International. 

The group called on President Bola Tinubu’s government to rescue the residents and villages from the threats of violent, armed gunmen in the state.