This BBC Africa Eye documentary brings us face to face with bandit warlords in Zamfara

In northwestern Nigeria, ultra-violent bandit gangs raid villages, attack drivers, abduct schoolchildren and kill anyone who resists. But who are these men, and what do they want?

The BBC Africa Eye team investigated one of Nigeria’s security crises-banditry-in Zamfara state in this new documentary. Why Zamfara? As far as banditry, abduction for ransom, and cattle rustling go, this state has been the worst impacted. However, there are many unreported or neglected factors that contribute to the current situation.

BBC Africa Eye spoke to both the Fulani-dominated bandits and the Hausa-dominated vigilantes, known as’ Yan Sa-kai, ‘, about the underlying reasons for the conflict. A Nigerian journalist and law student, Yusuf Anka, visited the bandit leaders in remote camps of the state. He made no exception for the men who abducted almost 300 secondary school girls in February 2021.

This documentary from BBC Africa Eye takes us into the heart of Nigeria’s worst security crisis — and brings us face to face with some of the most feared bandit leaders in Zamfara state.

Watch the documentary below: