How CPG, Yan Sakai Vigilante Rivalry Left 12 Family Members Dead In Zamfara

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The victims were members of the family of a local vigilante, Mallam Muhammadu Sani, who were trapped inside their house during the attack on Saturday night, November 7, 2026, at Gidan Taba village, Dosara Birnin Kaya Ward.

The tragedy has exposed deep divisions between two groups established to protect communities from bandit attacks: the government-backed Community Protection Guards (CPG), popularly known as Askarawa, and the informal Yan Sakai vigilantes formed by residents to defend their communities.

Although both groups are expected to complement each other, their operations have reportedly been characterised by rivalry, mutual suspicion and poor intelligence sharing in parts of Zamfara State.

The Village Head of Gidan Taba, Salahudeen Bello, and the Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Sanusi Ahmed Dosara, blamed the tragedy partly on the failure of security forces to coordinate their response to the attack.

Village Head: Synergy Would Have Saved Them

Bello told LEADERSHIP that the 12 victims were members of one family who were trapped inside their house when the attackers set it ablaze.

He said the attack was promptly reported to conventional security agencies, including the police and the military, but they failed to respond in time.

According to him, effective collaboration between the local vigilantes and the CPG could have prevented the deaths.

“If Vigilante and CPG had worked together that night, those 12 people would not have died,” Bello said.

He explained that the local vigilantes, who live within the community, were prepared to respond but lacked the coordination, support and backup needed to confront heavily armed bandits.

“The vigilantes are here with us. They know the terrain, they know the routes the bandits use. But they cannot fight alone with dane guns against bandits with sophisticated weapons. They needed the CPG and the soldiers to move with them,” he said.

Bello described the incident as part of a wider security challenge in which forces expected to protect the same communities operate independently, without adequate communication, intelligence sharing and joint operations.

LG Chairman: I Called Security, No One Responded

The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Sanusi Ahmed Dosara, confirmed that 12 members of the family of a local vigilante, Mallam Muhammadu Sani, were burnt to death during the attack.

Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP, Dosara alleged that security operatives failed to respond despite repeated distress calls.

He said the bandits entered the community without firing their weapons and went directly to the victims’ house, where they discovered that members of the family were inside a room and set it ablaze.

“They did not fire when they entered the town. They went for the people and then they found out that some people were inside the room. They fired the room and all of them were burnt. That is what happened,” the chairman said.

He explained that other vigilante members were not close to the location when the attackers struck.

Dosara said he immediately contacted security agencies but received no response.

“I informed them, I tried to call security and they did not respond. That is the problem,” he said.

He said he called the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area, but the officer initially failed to answer his calls.

“I called the police DPO, he didn’t respond. He later called back that he was sleeping initially, but he will respond, but he didn’t,” Dosara said.

The chairman also contacted the Sector Commander at Gidan Kono, who informed him that he had been transferred to Bakura but promised to alert his replacement.

“I called the Sector Commander of Gidan Kono. He said he has been posted to Bakura. I asked him to please call the new one to inform him of what is happening. He told me that he really told him, but he did not respond,” he said.

After visiting the affected community, Dosara said he proceeded to the Army camp in Gidan Kono to demand an explanation for the failure to respond.

According to him, the soldiers explained that they heard gunshots from three different locations and could not immediately determine where to deploy.

He lamented that communities in Maradun continued to live in fear despite the presence of the CPG and local vigilantes because the groups operated separately rather than as a coordinated security force.

Dosara called for an urgent harmonisation of security operations, insisting that the CPG, Yan Sakai, police and military must operate under a unified command and communication system during attacks.

“What happened in Maradun should not happen again. If our forces work together, we can prevent this kind of tragedy,” he said.

The Community Protection Guards were established under a 2024 law and launched in January 2024, with 2,645 personnel trained for three months by the military, police and Department of State Services (DSS).

Their training covered arms handling, intelligence gathering and community policing, while the state government’s target was to recruit 5,200 personnel across the 14 local government areas.

The CPG is funded through the Zamfara State Security Trust Fund, with personnel reportedly receiving monthly allowances of between N100,000 and N130,000.

The operatives are empowered to make arrests and refer cases to the Ministry of Justice.

The outfit is currently under a new commandant, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, appointed in December 2025 with a mandate to overhaul the service and restore command and control.

Yan Sakai, on the other hand, is an informal vigilante group without a legal framework or government salary structure.

The group emerged in 2018 when former Governor Abdulaziz Yari recruited vigilantes. It was disbanded in 2019 following allegations of extrajudicial killings, particularly against Fulani communities, but resurfaced as residents sought protection against recurring bandit attacks.

Its members reportedly depend on locally made dane guns, motorcycles and ammunition contributed by villagers.

Findings by LEADERSHIP point to three major factors behind the rivalry between the two security groups: operational differences, mutual suspicion and unequal welfare arrangements.

CPG operatives reportedly operate mainly from local government headquarters and major roads, partly because of inadequate fuel and logistics.

In April 2024, the first CPG Commandant, retired Colonel Rabiu Garba, was suspended after complaining during an interview on Vision FM Gusau that his men had been paid only once in four months.

He reportedly said he personally collected N98,000 and used the money to purchase fuel.

Residents of Maradun told LEADERSHIP that local vigilantes were often the first to respond to attacks because they lived within the communities, while CPG operatives were frequently absent when bandits struck at night.

“When bandits attack at 2am, we call Yan Sakai because they sleep here. Askarawa will come in the morning,” some residents reportedly said.

A resident, Saidu Bala, also alleged that CPG operatives collected money at road checkpoints without providing adequate protection when communities came under attack.

The importance of joint operations was demonstrated on March 22, 2025, in Bagega Forest, Anka Local Government Area, where a combined team of soldiers, CPG operatives and Yan Sakai vigilantes reportedly killed several bandits but suffered an ambush while returning.

The attack claimed six CPG operatives and four vigilantes, while Governor Dauda Lawal confirmed that two CPG operatives and one vigilante were still missing.

Similarly, on October 20, 2026, more than 59 motorcycles carrying bandits attacked Birnin Tudu in Gummi Local Government Area.

Yan Sakai and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members reportedly defended the community for three days before the air component of Operation Fansan Yamma intervened, killing more than 30 bandits.

2. Mutual Suspicion And Informant Allegations

Another major source of tension is the lack of trust between the two groups.

CPG operatives reportedly accuse Yan Sakai members of unprofessional conduct and fuelling ethnic reprisals, while the vigilantes accuse the government-backed guards of avoiding dangerous forest operations.

Both groups have also accused each other of harbouring informants.

In some communities, CPG operatives reportedly refuse to share intelligence with local vigilantes, while the latter are equally reluctant to provide information to the government-backed security outfit.

Halima Jalo, 32, from Tsafe Local Government Area, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that Yan Sakai members responded more quickly to security threats than CPG operatives.

“When we call CPG in our village they always give excuses, is either there’s no fuel or the vehicle breaks down, so we just have to rely on the local we know because they are there for us,” she said.

The difference in funding and welfare arrangements has further widened the divisions.

While CPG personnel receive government allowances and have access to operational vehicles, Yan Sakai members depend largely on contributions from residents for their activities.

In Shinkafi and Zurmi, farmers reportedly contribute between N500 and N1,000 monthly towards feeding vigilantes and purchasing ammunition, while also paying levies to support CPG fuel requirements.

A farmer in Moriki, Zurmi, who pleaded anonymity, said residents were bearing the financial burden of supporting both groups without receiving corresponding security protection.

“We pay twice but we are protected once. At night, only the Yan vigilantes show up,” he said.

The Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Nakwada, had, while announcing the appointment of the new CPG commandant, called for the restoration of a clear command and control structure and an overhaul of the outfit to improve its organisation and performance.

However, the Maradun tragedy has renewed calls for a comprehensive security coordination framework involving the CPG, Yan Sakai, police and military.

Dosara has specifically called for the harmonisation of their operations under a unified command and communication system.

Other recommendations arising from the findings include establishing a joint command under the Commissioner for Internal Security, Captain Bala Mairiga (rtd); vetting Yan Sakai members to remove individuals accused of abuses; establishing a joint logistics and fuel arrangement to prevent multiple levies on residents; and ensuring that suspects are referred to the Ministry of Justice rather than subjected to jungle justice.

Until these operational gaps are addressed, communities in Zamfara may continue to face the consequences of fragmented security arrangements.

The deaths of 12 members of one family in Gidan Taba have brought the cost of that fragmentation into sharp focus.

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Join Our WhatsApp Channel –> –> Nicholas Dekera Nicholas Dekera is a journalist with over 20 years of experience currently reporting for Leadership Newspaper and covering Zamfara and Sokoto States. He specialises in security, health, politics, and the environment, with a career spanning newsrooms across Benue, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Sokoto. He is a recipient of multiple industry awards.