23 Farmers Killed: HURIWA Demands Decisive Action in Zamfara

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State following the killing of at least 23 farmers in Talata Mafara Local Government Area.

In a statement issued on Friday, July 24, 2026, and signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the group described the latest attack in the Sauna/Ruwan Gora community as another indication that Zamfara has become a killing field where armed terrorists operate with near impunity. HURIWA extended condolences to the bereaved families, noting that residents of the state have endured years of killings, kidnappings, village burnings, displacement, and destruction of livelihoods.
The rights organisation cited figures from Amnesty International, saying hundreds of people have been killed in Zamfara over the past two years, while many others have been abducted. It added that hundreds of communities have been overrun since the crisis began, with large parts of 13 local government areas reportedly under the influence or control of armed bandits. HURIWA also referenced data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), as cited by the European Union Agency for Asylum, which recorded about 760 violent security incidents in Zamfara between January 2024 and August 2025, resulting in approximately 2,806 deaths. The report identified Zamfara as one of Nigeria’s most dangerous states.
According to HURIWA, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also documented repeated mass displacements, including nearly 8,800 people displaced in Gummi Local Government Area in June 2026 alone. The group said the figures portray a state where constitutional governance is gradually being replaced by the authority of armed criminal groups.
Questioning how many more Nigerians must lose their lives before stronger constitutional measures are taken, HURIWA argued that the security crisis has reached the threshold for decisive federal intervention. It urged President Tinubu to invoke the relevant constitutional provisions to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara, drawing comparisons with measures previously adopted in Rivers State under different circumstances.
The association recommended that the Federal Government temporarily assume direct responsibility for coordinating security operations in the state, strengthen military and intelligence activities, restore civil authority in communities occupied by bandits, and safeguard the constitutional rights of residents to life and security. It stressed that any emergency measures should remain constitutional, temporary, subject to legislative oversight, and focused on restoring public safety and democratic governance.
HURIWA also blamed the rise of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji on past peace negotiations, arguing that such initiatives allowed some criminal elements to regroup and expand rather than disarm. It said the latest killings demonstrate the failure of piecemeal approaches to the security crisis.
The group further called for sustained military offensives, improved intelligence gathering, stronger border surveillance, prosecution of terror financiers, enhanced protection for farming communities, and increased humanitarian assistance for displaced persons. It also urged the Federal Government to investigate allegations of collaboration between public officials and criminal groups and ensure that anyone found aiding terrorists is prosecuted.
HURIWA concluded that Nigeria must not continue to normalise the mass killing of its citizens, insisting that history will judge today’s leaders by the effectiveness of their actions in ending the bloodshed. It maintained that Zamfara deserves peace, Nigerians deserve security, and the Constitution demands decisive action.