Ganar Kiyawa massacre | |
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Part of Nigerian bandit conflict | |
Location | Ganar Kiyawa, Bukkuyum LGA, Zamfara State, Nigeria |
Date | March 20, 2022 |
Victims | 37 killed
Several kidnapped 20+ refugees |
Perpetrator | Unknown bandits |
On March 20, 2022, at least 37 people were killed by bandits in the village of Ganar Kiyawa, in Bukkuyum, Zamfara State, Nigeria.
Zamfara State has been a hotbed of over 100 different bandit groups for years, with kidnappings and massacres frequent in villages that don't pay ransom or are not close to a Nigerian military post. [1] In January 2022, a bandit attack on several villages killed over 200 people in Bukkuyum LGA, where Ganar Kiyawa is located. [2] In two villages near Ganar Kiyawa in February, bandits collected a 12 million naira ransom for 26 civilians abducted from the town and the neighboring Nasarawa Burkullu. [2] In the weeks leading up to the attack, Ganar Kiyawa residents paid 2 million naira in harvest taxes, and another two million ransom for civilians. [3]
Residents of Ganar Kiyawa expected the attack ahead of time, with the men of the village sleeping in the bush the night before anticipating the attack. [2] The bandits had entered the town the past few nights attempting to attack, but because no one was there sleeping, they left. [2]
To surprise the inhabitants, the bandits attacked the morning of March 20, when all the civilians came back from the bush from sleeping. [2] Witnesses stated that the bandits shot indiscriminately once they entered the village from the western side, before going house to house and shooting everyone inside. [2] Shops in the town were looted as well. [2] According to a community leader in the Bukkuyum LGA, the village head, local traditional rulers, and many others were killed. [2] Twenty villagers fled to nearby villages, and those who couldn't make it were kidnapped. [2] [4]
The next day, survivors picked up the bodies of 24 people in the village, and stated many more are likely left in the bush. [2] The bandits arrived at the village cemetery that same day, assuming funerals were going on for the buried, but no one was there, so they left. [3] The funerals instead took place at Adabka, three kilometers away. [3] The death toll later rose to 37 killed. [4]
The Zamfara State police stated 16 people were killed, with the police spokesperson and a military spokesperson visiting the village. [3] Zamfara State governor Bello Matawalle expressed his condolences. [3]