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Claim: A Facebook post claims Zamfara’s governor deployed about 500 vigilantes, also known as Askarawa, to tackle insecurity by “taking the fight to the bandits” instead of waiting for attacks.
Verdict: Insufficient Evidence. While it is true that Askarawa was launched in January 2024 as a state-backed force to work with the military and police, there’s no evidence that the Zamfara State governor deployed about 500 vigilantes to fight independently.
Full Text
Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria has endured a decade of ruthless armed attacks that locals often describe as banditry but that bear the hallmarks of terrorism. Armed groups raid villages, ambush highways, and kidnap residents for ransom. Since about 2011, waves of assaults have left thousands dead and forced entire communities to flee. Humanitarian agencies estimate that tens of thousands remain displaced across the state.
A Facebook user, @D English Alhaji, claimed that the Zamfara State government had endorsed approximately 500 local vigilantes to combat banditry.
In the accompanying video, a man details the alleged operation. He says, “The Zamfara State government has upped their game to curb security challenges in the state. They are called Askarawa men, also known as the anti-banditry squad, conducting a grand operation in Zamfara State. They are no longer waiting for an attack; they are now taking the fight to the bandits.” He praises the move and says it is the kind of action Nigerians have long been waiting for.
Behind his narration, a cropped clip shows men on motorcycles. The narrator identifies them as the roughly 500 men the government provided with bikes.
As of September 25, 2025, the video had garnered 69,000 views, 155 shares, and approximately 4,300 comments.
We reviewed the conversation beneath the Facebook post to gauge how users reacted to the claim. A few of the responses include:
@Kingston Samuel wrote, “When everything calms down and they disband the group, I hope the Zamfara government can account for all the tools given to the anti-bandit unit.”
@Chibuzor Patrick said, “Useless politicians will soon tell the Zamfara government to withdraw their men, claiming the bandits have repented.”
@Moor Moor commented, “They will hand those bikes over to bandits in disguise.”
@Brazy Slime stated, “They must ensure no Fulani are in this group of fighters, otherwise the aim is defeated. It is suicidal to trust a Fulani in a set-up like this. They are even in the military, undermining the army, navy, and air force.”
Several other users openly questioned the accuracy of the claim. Destiny Charles asked, “Are you in Zamfara to confirm what you are saying, or are you just making empty noise?” while @Nonso Ogbonna added, “Bro, where are you getting this information? I live in Gusau, Zamfara.”
The nature of the claim and the comments doubting its veracity prompted DUBAWA to dig deeper and verify.
Verification
DUBAWA began the verification by using key phrases from the Facebook post, such as “Zamfara governor,” “Askarawa men,” and “anti-banditry squad”, to conduct a Google keyword search. The search brought up identical captions and claims on X and Facebook.
One X account, @Future President, shared on September 13, 2025, that “Gov. Dauda Lawal has begun a massive ground operation against bandits, involving state Askarawa and local CJTF.”
On Facebook, @Shehu Umar shared a similar caption on the same day.
To trace the video, we extracted key frames and ran reverse-image searches on Google and Yandex. The searches revealed no earlier or independent source. Every match led back to the same Facebook and X posts we had already found through the keyword search, each with the identical caption. This indicates that the video first appeared on those two social media posts, not in any official release or credible news outlet.
Our search further led us to official sources, which showed that Governor Dauda Lawal publicly launched the Community Protection Guards (CPG), also known as Askarawa, on January 31, 2024. The media described the CPG as a government-backed security initiative
to complement federal forces.
More statements from that launch detailed that 2,645 guards had completed initial training and announced a target of about 5,200 members across the state, far above the “about 500” mentioned in the Facebook post.
Additional reports indicate that the Zamfara government, under Governor Dauda Lawal, has provided vehicles and motorcycles to local security forces. For example, on Aug. 16, 2022, state officials distributed 1,500 motorcycles and 20 patrol vehicles for community security efforts, and on May 13, 2025, the governor handed over 140 operational vehicles to security agencies.
While these actions demonstrate government support for security initiatives, there is no evidence that any of these distributions have taken place recently, as social media users suggest.
Lastly, we found that the CPG works with the military and police in rugged terrain, and accounts of joint raids in places such as Sunke Forest show that CPG members operate in areas where bandits hide. However, as the social media posts suggest, we found no government statement directing them to “take the fight into the bush” on their own,
Official Position
DUBAWA contacted the Zamfara State Government through its official email (zitda@zamfara.gov.ng) but has not received a response as of the time of this publication.
We also called the number on the government’s official website, but received no response. Lastly, we contacted the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Zamfara state for clarification. However, midway through the conversation, the PRO ended the call and did not respond to subsequent calls.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings confirm that the Askarawa, or CPG, was established in January 2024 as a state-backed security force operating with the military and police. However, there is no proof that they were authorised to carry out independent attacks.
