Entire communities shattered as terrorists unleash coordinated killings, abductions, and arson in Niger State while Nigeria watches in horror
Niger State has plunged into fresh chaos after gunmen swept through rural communities, killing scores of villagers, abducting children, and reducing a busy market to ashes. What residents describe as a coordinated terror campaign has once again exposed the fragility of security in Nigeria’s hinterlands, reigniting national anger over repeated mass killings with little resistance.
Villages Turned Killing Fields
Residents of Agwara and Borgu local government areas say the attackers struck with ruthless precision, mowing down men, women, and children in Kasuwan Daji near Papiri and Kaima village. Local accounts put the death toll at no fewer than 42, while others remain missing, dragged into the surrounding forests.
Survivors say the gunmen operated for hours, setting shops ablaze, looting food supplies, and leaving bodies scattered across the market square before vanishing without challenge.
Children Abducted Again
Shockingly, some of those abducted were pupils who had only recently regained freedom after a previous mass school kidnapping in the same axis. Parents say fear has returned full force, with families fleeing across rivers and into neighbouring villages to escape what many now call an unending siege.
Church Targeted, Priest Escapes
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed that the attackers also targeted a mission house, destroying church property, stealing vehicles and cash, and narrowly missing the parish priest. Clergy officials say villagers, including women and children, were taken during the raid.
Police Confirm Carnage
The Niger State Police Command acknowledged the attack, confirming that over 30 people were killed, while admitting that the actual figure may be higher. Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said joint security teams have since been deployed and rescue operations are ongoing.
Tinubu Orders Manhunt
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate manhunt for the perpetrators, directing the military, police, and intelligence agencies to track them down and rescue all abducted victims.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country,” the President said, vowing that those responsible — including their enablers — would face the full force of the law.
Governors, Atiku React as Outrage Grows
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bagodescribed the attack as horrendous and vowed closer collaboration with federal forces. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the killings as a grave failure of the state’s duty to protect lives.
The Northern Governors’ Forum and Southern Governors’ Forum also issued rare joint condemnations, calling the attack a crime against humanity and demanding decisive military action.
Fear, Flight, and a Familiar Question
As mass burials loom and displaced families scatter, residents say the real tragedy is the predictability of the violence. Many now question how many more villages must burn before Nigeria’s security crisis is treated as a true national emergency.
Tinubu Orders Immediate Manhunt
President Bola Tinubu has ordered an all-out manhunt for the attackers responsible for the massacre in Agwara and Borgu local government areas. In a statement personally signed by the President, he directed the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the DSS to track down the terrorists and ensure they are brought to justice.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country. No matter who they are or where they hide, they must be hunted down,” the President said, while also ordering the immediate rescue of all abducted victims and intensified operations around forest hideouts.
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