Nigeria deploys security forces to Zamfara state

Nigeria police have ordered immediate massive deployment of security forces to the troubled northern state of Zamfara to curb recurring deadly attacks there.

Mohammed Abubakar, inspector-general of Nigeria Police, gave the order on Monday in response to the frequent attacks on communities in the violence-plagued state.

The special forces include ten units of Police Mobile Force and three units of conventional police.

In addition, Abubakar has ordered aerial patrol and surveillance by the Air Wing of the Nigeria Police to monitor the situation.

The deployments come as the Zamfara state has been plagued with violence by gangs of armed robbers and cattle thieves.

The latest attack took place on April 5, when some 120 people were killed in the Yar Galadima village in an attack by some 100 armed gunmen on motorcycles.

The Fulani gunmen raided a meeting to discuss security challenges in the four neighboring states of Zamfara, Kaduna, Kebbi and Kastine.

The Fulani’s semi-nomadic, cattle-herding way of life has led to decades of conflict with farming communities across central and northern Nigeria. The Fulani herdsmen usually encroach on and destroy the farmers’ lands, especially during the dry season, resulting in clashes with the farmers trying to stop Fulani people from using their farmlands as feeding ground for their cattle.