29 August 2026
Cattle rustling in Zamfara
OpenWatch has recorded 27 reported cattle rustling incidents in Zamfara State, 5 of them in the last 12 months. That is 3% of every incident recorded in the state, and ranks it 5 of 6 among the states where cattle rustling is reported often enough to profile.
Incidents · 12 mo
5
Fatalities · 12 mo
3
Incidents · all-time
27
Fatalities · all-time
84
Latest reported cattle rustling in Zamfara
24 August 2026 · Gummi
Bandit commanders raid herders in Gummi axis
12 July 2026
Bandits returned to Zamfara State in the evening with stolen cattle, indicating a cattle rustling incident in the area.
20 June 2026 · Gummi
Police recovered 329 rustled cattle and 175 sheep after a gun battle with armed bandits in Gambanda Forest, Gummi LGA, Zamfara State. The operation was conducted by the Violent Crime Response Unit in collaboration with military personnel.
1 June 2026 · Kaura Namoda
Troops foiled a bandit attack in Gegeta Village, neutralising three suspects and recovering rustled livestock. The attackers fled into nearby forests after a gun battle with security forces.
27 December 2021 · Gusau
Three suspected bandits were arrested in Gusau, Zamfara while attempting to flee to Taraba. The suspects are linked to cattle rustling activities in the region.
26 November 2021 · Gusau
A suspect confessed to inviting armed bandits to raid Wanke village in Zamfara, resulting in the rustling of 240 cows. The suspect was arrested by police following intelligence reports.
18 May 2021 · Maru
On May 18, 2021, armed bandits invaded Dansadau town in Zamfara State, stealing over 300 cows and looting shops for about two hours while overwhelming local security forces.
17 January 2021 · Bungudu
Troops of Operation Hadarin Daji killed 35 armed bandits and recovered rustled cows in Zamfara State during an operation on January 17, 2021. The military also arrested two collaborators of the bandits.
17 January 2021 · Shinkafi
Police in Zamfara arrested four suspects linked to the killing of a Fulani herdsman and recovered 200 rustled cows along with weapons. Eight persons who were abducted three weeks ago were also released during the operation.
Other threats in Zamfara
About these figures
Counts cover incidents classified as cattle rustling in Zamfara State, drawn from OpenWatch’s incident record, excluding retracted reports and duplicates merged into an earlier report. Figures update hourly. Last recorded: 29 August 2026.
Reported numbers are a floor, not a census. Incidents in remote areas are routinely under-reported, and classification follows how an event was described in reporting, so a low count is not a guarantee of safety. See the full Zamfara risk profile for every threat type, or the methodology for how incidents are collected and classified.
Track Zamfara live on the incident map.