On 2 March 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari declared a no-fly zone over Zamfara state due to increased insecurity in the area. The president also announced a ban on all mining activities in the state until further notice. Militants have executed several small-scale attacks against villages throughout the state in recent weeks, and on 26 February kidnapped a total of 279 students from a boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara. While the students have since been released, the local and federal governments maintain that no ransom was paid for their release.