No fewer than 500 cattle have been rustled by suspected bandits at Kasuwar Daji livestock market in Kaura Namoda local government area of Zamfara State.
The chairman of the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (CBAN) in the state, Comrade Aminu Garba, confirmed the incident, noting that it was not the first attack on the market. He recalled that a similar incident occurred about four years ago.
Garba explained that the attackers allegedly infiltrated the market and nearby villages during the daytime, where they monitored activities and transactions involving livestock traders before launching the attack at night.
According to him, the rustled cattle were purchased from several markets, including animals brought in from the neighbouring Niger Republic, and were assembled at Kasuwar Daji, the largest livestock market in the area.
“We usually buy animals from Wednesday until the Kasuwar Daji market day, after which they are transported by trucks to Lagos,” Garba said. “The bandits struck at night, rustled the cattle, and fled towards the western part of the village, which leads into the forest. The market is not fenced, making it vulnerable.”
He added that the attackers were many and heavily armed with sophisticated weapons.
One of the victims, Alhaji Sani Yaba Ajiyan Fawa, said the attackers were more than 100 in number. He disclosed that the stolen cattle belonged to livestock breeders popularly known as ‘Yantugu’ in Hausa language.
Ajiyan Fawa said about 60 of the animals were later recovered, explaining that they were those that scattered during the attack. He admitted that it was difficult to control large animals amid the chaos.
Garba attributed the incident to a lack of awareness and vigilance among market guards, who failed to promptly alert security agencies. He also noted that the handlers of the cattle were not sufficiently informed on how to seek timely intervention from security personnel.
He added that the rustled animals belonged to multiple owners, with some cattle jointly owned by different breeders.
Efforts to reach the Zamfara State Police Command’a spokesperson for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
