At least 30 people have been killed and several others taken away after armed attackers raided a village in Nigeria’s northern Niger State, police confirmed on Sunday. The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks affecting communities in the region.
According to police, the gunmen struck Kasuwan-Daji, a village in the Borgu Local Government Area, on Saturday evening. The attackers reportedly opened fire on residents, killing many people on the spot. They also set fire to the local market and destroyed several homes.
Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement that security forces have been deployed to the area to track down those responsible and to search for people who were abducted during the raid.
However, residents have disputed this account. At least two locals said the death toll had reached 37 and warned that the number could rise further, as several people were still missing as of Sunday. They also claimed that security personnel had yet to arrive in the village, raising concerns about delays in emergency response.
Violent raids of this nature have become increasingly common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Armed criminal gangs—often referred to locally as bandits—frequently target isolated rural communities where security presence is weak and state authority is limited. These groups typically kill, loot, and abduct residents for ransom.
The attack on Kasuwan-Daji took place close to the Papiri community, where more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in November, highlighting the persistent insecurity in the area.
Police said the attackers are believed to have entered the village from the National Park Forest along the Kabe district. Authorities have repeatedly warned that vast, poorly monitored forest reserves in northern Nigeria have become safe havens for armed gangs, allowing them to plan attacks and evade security forces.
As residents mourn the dead and search for missing relatives, calls are growing for stronger security measures and sustained government presence to protect vulnerable communities and prevent further bloodshed.
