- Rights group accuses Nigerian authorities of failing to protect rural communities, warns of looming humanitarian crisis
Amnesty International has raised the alarm over escalating bandit attacks in parts of Niger and Zamfara states, saying the violence has displaced hundreds of residents and pushed vulnerable rural communities towards a major humanitarian crisis.
The organisation said the attacks, particularly across the Rijau area of Niger State and communities in Zamfara State, had forced villagers to flee their homes and abandon their farms, belongings and livelihoods in search of safety.
It warned that the growing insecurity was disrupting agricultural activities at a critical period, with many farmers abandoning their fields as the harvest season approaches.
According to Amnesty International, families who have spent years building their homes and sustaining their livelihoods are being forced to leave everything behind because of persistent attacks by armed groups.
The rights organisation strongly criticised the Nigerian authorities’ response to the violence, accusing them of gross incompetence and disregard for the lives and safety of affected communities.
It said the failure to contain the attacks had left rural populations across northern Nigeria increasingly vulnerable to armed groups, which it said had killed hundreds of people since 2018.
Amnesty International warned that continued attacks, mass displacement and the destruction of livelihoods could deepen the humanitarian consequences of the crisis, particularly for families already struggling to meet their basic needs.
The organisation stressed that the authorities’ inability to halt the violence was costing lives and undermining economic security, with farming communities facing the additional threat of losing their harvests and sources of income.
It called for immediate and effective action to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life, warning that failure to address the insecurity could lead to more deaths, displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The situation highlights the urgent need for strengthened civilian protection, effective security operations and measures to enable displaced residents to return safely to their communities and resume their livelihoods.
