Acholera outbreak in Zamfara state, northwest Nigeria, has killed at least eight people and infected more than 200 across 11 rural communities, residents and local officials said on Thursday, as insecurity and weak healthcare access worsen the crisis.
The outbreak is concentrated in Bukkuyum district, where villages including Nasarawa-Burkullu, Gurusu and Adabka have been hit hardest. Many residents are being treated at home due to the absence of primary healthcare centres, while delays in reaching hospitals have already proved fatal.
“We have over 21 patients presently admitted, although three died due to delays in reaching Nasarawa General Hospital,” Muhammad Jibci, village head of Gurusu, told Reuters by phone.
In Gurusu alone, at least 53 people are infected, according to resident Ya’u Umar. “We don’t have medicine or drips. Bandits prevent us from going to the city,” he said, highlighting how rampant insecurity is blocking access to medical care.
Cholera, a water-borne disease, is endemic in Nigeria, where clean water shortages are widespread in rural communities and urban slums. In Zamfara, the situation is compounded by armed groups that have turned the state into one of the epicentres of violence in northwest Nigeria. Gangs routinely abduct villagers and travellers for ransom, while also extorting farming communities, making travel and livelihoods increasingly dangerous.
Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi, a federal lawmaker from the state, urged urgent intervention by the government and international NGOs. “Any delay will cost more lives, especially among women and children,” he said, calling for emergency response teams and cholera treatment centres to be deployed immediately.
Zamfara health authorities have yet to release an official statement on the outbreak.
