The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is deeply outraged by the latest massacre of at least 23 innocent farmers in Sauna/Ruwan Gora community of Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State. This latest atrocity is yet another grim reminder that Zamfara has become a vast killing field where terrorists exercise authority with near impunity while innocent citizens continue to pay the ultimate price.
HURIWA extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and stands in solidarity with the people of Zamfara who have endured years of relentless killings, kidnappings, village burnings, displacement and destruction of livelihoods.
This latest massacre is not an isolated incident. It is part of a sustained campaign of terror that has persisted for over a decade despite repeated military operations and enormous public expenditure on security.
According to recent assessments by Amnesty International, hundreds of people have been killed in Zamfara within the last two years alone, while hundreds more have been abducted. The organisation further reported that since the onset of the security crisis, hundreds of communities have been sacked and vast areas across 13 local government areas remain under the influence or control of armed bandits, creating one of Nigeria’s gravest humanitarian emergencies.
Independent conflict monitoring by ACLED, as referenced by the European Union Agency for Asylum, recorded about 760 violent security incidents in Zamfara between January 2024 and August 2025, resulting in approximately 2,806 fatalities. The report described Zamfara as one of Nigeria’s most dangerous states, with violence affecting every local government area.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also continues to document repeated mass displacements across the state. In one incident in June 2026 alone, attacks in Gummi Local Government Area displaced nearly 8,800 residents, illustrating the devastating humanitarian consequences of the continuing violence.
These statistics paint a disturbing picture of a state where constitutional governance is steadily giving way to the authority of armed criminal groups.
HURIWA is therefore compelled to ask: how many more innocent Nigerians must die before extraordinary constitutional measures are considered?
The association believes that the deteriorating security situation in Zamfara now meets the threshold of a grave emergency requiring decisive federal intervention.
Accordingly, HURIWA calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invoke the relevant constitutional provisions for the declaration of a state of emergency in Zamfara State, just as extraordinary constitutional measures were taken in Rivers State under a different set of circumstances. If constitutional institutions can be suspended to address political instability, it would be difficult to justify withholding similar intervention where thousands of lives have been threatened by sustained terrorist violence.
HURIWA therefore urges the President to consider measures that would allow the Federal Government to take direct control of security coordination in the state for a defined period, strengthen military and intelligence operations, restore civil authority in occupied communities and protect the fundamental rights to life and security guaranteed under the Constitution.
The association stresses that any constitutional measures adopted must strictly comply with the provisions of the Constitution, remain temporary, be subject to legislative oversight and focus primarily on restoring public safety and democratic governance.
HURIWA further notes with concern that notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji rose to prominence partly because previous attempts at negotiating peace with armed groups created opportunities for several criminal leaders to consolidate influence, regroup and expand their operational networks instead of laying down their arms permanently. Security experts have repeatedly questioned the effectiveness of those initiatives, arguing that while intended to reduce violence, they often enabled some criminal groups to rearm and strengthen their hold over vulnerable communities.
The latest massacre demonstrates that piecemeal responses have failed. Zamfara requires sustained military pressure, improved intelligence gathering, effective border surveillance, prosecution of terror financiers, protection of farming communities, humanitarian support for displaced persons and the complete restoration of lawful government authority throughout the state.
The Federal Government must equally investigate every allegation of official collaboration with criminal networks and ensure that any public officer found aiding or protecting terrorists faces the full weight of the law.
Nigeria cannot continue to normalise the mass slaughter of its citizens.
History will judge today’s leaders not by the number of condolences they issue after every massacre, but by the courage and effectiveness of the actions they take to stop the bloodshed.
The time for half measures has passed. Zamfara deserves peace. Nigerians deserve security. The Constitution demands no less.
Signed:
Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko
National Coordinator
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA).
Friday, July 24th, 2026.
