Authorities and witnesses described a wave of violence early on Saturday in three villages within Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, near Nigeria's border with the Benin Republic. Residents who escaped said the assailants arrived on motorbikes, carried out indiscriminate shooting, set fires and abducted an unspecified number of people.
Local police confirmed one of the assaults. "Suspected bandits invaded Tunga-Makeri village ... six persons lost their lives, some houses were also set ablaze, and a yet-to-be ascertained number of persons were abducted," said Wasiu Abiodun, the Niger State police spokesperson. He said the assailants moved on to Konkoso village and that details of other attacks were still unclear.
Survivors provided additional accounts of the scope and timing of the attacks. Jeremiah Timothy, who fled Konkoso to a nearby locality, said gunfire began in the early hours and that attackers set the village police station on fire. "At least 26 people were killed so far in the village after they set the police station ablaze," Timothy said, adding that the gunmen entered Konkoso at around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) and shot indiscriminately. He also said residents heard military jets overhead during the assault.
Another witness who asked not to be named said the assailants rode in on what he estimated were more than 200 motorbikes and swept through the area targeting the villages.
Residents of Tunga-Makeri described an attack that began in the pre-dawn hours. Auwal Ibrahim recounted that the assault on his village started at roughly 0200 GMT. "The bandits stormed our town around 3:00 a.m. (local time), riding so many motorcycles while shooting sporadically, beheading six people and killing others. They set shops on fire and forced the whole village to flee," he said. Ibrahim added that many villagers are afraid to return while the gunmen remain in the vicinity.
These incidents are part of a recent surge in violence across northern Nigeria attributed to groups described locally as bandits. The attacks have included deadly raids, kidnappings for ransom and the displacement of communities. The continued insecurity is a major concern for the affected regions and has increased pressure on government authorities to restore stability.
Context and immediate effects
- Multiple villages in Borgu Local Government Area were attacked in the early morning.
- At least 30 people were reported killed, houses and shops were burned, and an unknown number of people were abducted.
- Residents reported hearing military jets overhead during the raids.