Zamfara Bandits Burn Mosque, Clinic in Reprisal Attack, Deepening Fear
BIYABIKI, Nigeria—Suspected bandits torched a Juma’at mosque, a primary healthcare centre, and at least 10 homes in Biyabiki village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on April 12, 2025, in a suspected reprisal attack, escalating fears in Nigeria’s bandit-plagued northwest. The assault, linked to the killing of a bandit leader’s kin, left no casualties but razed vital community structures, intensifying calls for stronger security as economic woes—naira at N1,630/$1—fuel unrest. With #ZamfaraAttack trending at 100,000 posts on X, residents demand action as of April 14, 2025.
Arson at Dusk: A Village Devastated
The attack struck at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, when armed men, believed to be loyalists of bandit kingpin Adamu Aliero, stormed Biyabiki, per local accounts reported by Daily Trust. They set fire to the mosque, clinic, and homes before fleeing into the night, leaving flames to consume the village’s heart. “They only burned our mosque and clinic—no one was hurt, but we’re shaken,” a resident, requesting anonymity for safety, told journalists. The clinic, serving 2,000 locals, and the mosque, a Friday prayer hub, were reduced to ash, forcing worshippers to pray outdoors and patients to trek 15km for care.
Reprisal Roots: A Cycle of Violence
Local sources tie the attack to the deaths of Aliero’s brother, Isuhu Yellow, and son three weeks prior, killed during a failed ambush on security forces in Keta, per 21st Century Chronicle. Zamfara’s banditry, claiming 3,800 abductions in 2025 per ACLED, thrives on such vendettas, with groups controlling gold mines and arms routes, per Reuters. “They’re sending a message—strike us, we strike back,” said security analyst Musa Abdullahi. Operation Hadin Kai’s airstrikes killed 100 bandits in March, but retaliation like Biyabiki’s arson shows the conflict’s persistence, with #BanditReprisal posts reflecting public alarm.
Community in Crisis: Fear Grips Zamfara
Biyabiki’s loss compounds Zamfara’s woes. The clinic’s destruction cuts off vaccinations and maternity care, while the mosque’s ruin disrupts communal life, said elder Halima Usman. Nearby Tsageru village also saw homes burned, per Leadership. “We sleep with one eye open,” Usman said, echoing 1,200 displaced locals’ plight, per NEMA estimates. X posts (#ZamfaraAttack, 100,000) capture despair: “No clinic, no peace—where’s government?” Economic strain—40% inflation, rice at N100,000 per bag—worsens vulnerability, with protests flaring in Gusau over N950/litre fuel, per NBS data.
Security Struggles: Calls for Action
Zamfara’s police, stretched thin, confirmed the attack but reported no arrests, per a April 13 statement. Governor Dauda Lawal’s N200 million security fund, launched in January, falters against bandits’ AK-47s and RPGs, per Wikipedia. “Troops are outgunned,” admitted a Tsafe officer anonymously. President Tinubu’s March pledge for 2,000 more soldiers stalls, with #SecureZamfara posts (50,000) urging drone strikes. Analyst Abdullahi suggests community guards, but past vigilante clashes with Fulani herders, fueling banditry’s roots, raise doubts, per CFR’s Sahel tracker.
A Region on Edge: Can Peace Return?
Zamfara’s 2022 massacre of 200, per Wikipedia, haunts Biyabiki’s survivors, who fear worse. The mosque and clinic, symbols of faith and health, join a grim tally—44 worshippers kidnapped in Zugu in 2024, per Vanguard. With Trump’s tariffs slashing Nigeria’s exports and oil at $57, economic desperation may swell bandit ranks, warns Dr. Tunde Lawal. “Fix security, or we’re lost,” he said. As X posts demand justice and Biyabiki rebuilds, Nigeria faces a stark question: can it break banditry’s grip, or will Zamfara burn again?
