At least 30 people were killed and several others abducted when gunmen attacked a market in Niger state, Nigeria, police said Sunday, January 4.
The gunmen stormed Kasuwan Daji market in Kasuwan-Daji village around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, burning stalls and looting food items. Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the attackers also opened fire on residents during the raid.
The market was razed during the attack, along with several houses in the area. Witnesses said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and carried out indiscriminate firing throughout the community.
The assault in Kasuwan-Daji village, located in Niger state’s Borgu local government area within Kabe district, lasted up to three hours. Residents reported that the attackers had been lurking in the area for about a week before launching the deadly raid.
“Women and children were not spared,” said Dauda Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing.
Children were among those abducted during the attack. The gunmen came from the National Park Forest along Kabe district, according to police statements, highlighting how expansive forest reserves serve as hideouts for armed gangs operating in the region.
The violence was part of a series of raids that began Friday in nearby villages, including Agwarra, Chukama, and Shanga. The coordinated nature of the attacks suggests organized criminal activity spanning multiple communities.
Residents expressed frustration over the absence of security forces during and after the attack. No security personnel were present during the assault, leaving villagers to fend for themselves against the armed attackers. Survivors remained too afraid to recover bodies left in the village following the massacre.
“There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses,” Shakulle said.
Police said they deployed officers to search for the kidnapped victims, though residents disputed this claim. The discrepancy between official statements and on-the-ground reports raises questions about the effectiveness of the security response in the remote area.
Some people remained missing as of Sunday. Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesman for the Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese where the attack occurred, told local media that more than 40 people were killed. Witness Khalid Pissa said the death toll reached 40 across the affected communities.
President Bola Tinubu directed authorities to hunt down the perpetrators behind the attack. The president also ordered the rescue of abducted victims and called for security operations to be intensified in vulnerable communities, particularly near forest areas.
The attack occurred near the Papiri community, where more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in November. 130 children were freed before Christmas.
Such attacks are common in Nigeria, where dozens of rogue gangs seeking control often target remote communities with limited security and government presence. The armed groups, locally known as bandits, carry out mass killings and kidnappings throughout rural areas.
Niger state has emerged as one of the hardest hit regions by violence in recent months. The state’s vulnerability stems from its proximity to vast forest reserves that provide cover for criminal networks, combined with limited government infrastructure in rural areas. Security forces have struggled to contain the escalating violence despite ongoing operations across northwestern and central Nigeria.
The banditry crisis has intensified over the past year, prompting significant political consequences. In December, Defense Minister Badaru Abubakar resigned amid the spate of abductions plaguing the region. His resignation reflected mounting pressure on government officials to address the deteriorating security situation.
The attacks represent part of a broader security crisis affecting multiple regions of Nigeria. Northwestern and central states have experienced an escalation of armed group activity, with bandits operating with increasing boldness and sophistication. The groups frequently use motorcycles for rapid deployment and escape, making them difficult for security forces to intercept.
The targeting of markets represents a particularly devastating tactic, as these locations serve as economic and social hubs for rural communities. By destroying the market infrastructure and looting food supplies, the attackers not only inflict immediate casualties but also undermine the economic viability of entire villages, potentially forcing displacement and creating humanitarian emergencies.
The pattern of attacks reveals strategic targeting of vulnerable populations. Remote villages far from major urban centers and military installations face the greatest risk, as armed groups exploit the distance from security infrastructure. Forest areas provide staging grounds for raids, allowing attackers to strike quickly and retreat before government forces can respond.
The Saturday evening assault demonstrates the calculated nature of these operations. The timing, duration, and coordination across multiple villages suggest organized criminal networks rather than opportunistic violence. The week-long surveillance period reported by residents indicates careful planning and intelligence gathering by the attackers.
Efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims continue, though the absence of immediate security response during the attack has diminished confidence among local populations. The trauma inflicted on survivors who witnessed the indiscriminate killing of women and children will have lasting psychological effects on the community.
As authorities work to recover bodies and search for the abducted, questions remain about how to prevent similar attacks in a region where vast ungoverned spaces provide sanctuary for armed groups and where government security presence remains inadequate to protect vulnerable populations.
