International Organisation for Migration says 484 people were displaced after armed bandits attacked Gummi Local Government Area, with children accounting for more than half of those affected

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has disclosed that 271 children were among 484 people displaced after armed bandits attacked Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State on June 15, 2026, underscoring the growing humanitarian impact of insecurity in Nigeria’s North-West.

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The findings are contained in the IOM’s latest Flash Report 291 on Population Displacement, obtained by Saturday PUNCH, which assessed the aftermath of the attack that forced 101 households to flee their homes.

According to the report, the victims escaped from Gamo Gidan Bita in Birnin Magaji Ward to Ubandawaki in Magaji Gari Ward following the assault.

The IOM said its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) activated a rapid assessment on June 16, one day after the attack, in line with its 72-hour early warning protocol.

The agency described the incident as part of a persistent pattern of violence fuelled by long-standing tensions between farming and pastoral communities, alongside broader ethnic and religious conflicts across the region.

Of the 484 displaced persons, 271 were children, while 129 were women and 84 were men.

The assessment showed that females accounted for 60 per cent of the displaced population, with males making up the remaining 40 per cent.

The IOM’s demographic analysis revealed that girls aged between six and 12 years represented the largest female age group, accounting for 12 per cent of all displaced persons.

Women aged 18 to 59 constituted 25 per cent, while adult men within the same age bracket accounted for 16 per cent. Infants below one year of age were also among those displaced.

The report recorded five casualties, comprising three deaths and two injuries, during the attack.

It identified food, emergency shelter and non-food items as the most urgent humanitarian needs, noting that every household assessed required immediate assistance.

The latest incident has further deepened an already worsening displacement crisis across Nigeria’s North-West.

According to the IOM, more than 143,189 people were newly displaced across the region between December 2025 and June 2026, increasing the total number of internally displaced persons to over 794,018.

Earlier analysis of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nigeria Forcibly Displaced Populations Dashboard also showed that at least 8,521 Nigerians fled violence in the North-West and North-East during the same period, seeking refuge in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

The humanitarian situation in Zamfara has continued to deteriorate amid sustained attacks by armed groups.

According to data cited by Human Rights Watch from SBM Intelligence, Zamfara recorded 1,203 kidnapping incidents between July 2024 and June 2025, the highest figure recorded by any state in Nigeria during the period.

Kaduna followed with 629 incidents, while Katsina recorded 566, contributing to a nationwide total of 4,722 kidnapping cases.

Separate IOM data indicated that Zamfara’s internally displaced population had risen to 279,224 by early 2026, representing an increase of 74,648 people compared with the previous reporting period.

The agency also reported that attacks in neighbouring Katsina State displaced 3,830 people from 517 households between May 21 and June 1.

Beyond the security crisis, the IOM’s Transhumance Tracking Tool Dashboard highlighted increasing pressure on land and natural resources across the region.

The report showed that 388 herders moved 10,572 livestock across Katsina and Zamfara states during May 2026, including 6,527 cattle, 2,205 sheep, 1,303 goats and 537 other livestock.

Zamfara emerged as Nigeria’s third-largest destination for livestock migration during the period, receiving 1,528 animals, while the Kaduna-Zamfara corridor recorded the highest level of domestic transhumance.

According to the IOM, desertification, climate change, inadequate rainfall and rapid population growth continue to intensify competition over land and water resources, worsening conflicts between farming and pastoral communities throughout the North-West.

Efforts to obtain the Federal Government’s reaction were unsuccessful. Calls and messages sent to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, were not returned as of the time of filing this report.

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The June 15 attack is the latest reminder of the complex security and humanitarian challenges confronting Zamfara and neighbouring states, where recurring banditry, displacement and resource-based conflicts continue to place thousands of vulnerable families, particularly children, at heightened risk.