A wave of coordinated, deadly violence targeting remote communities in Nigeria’s northwestern Niger state has sparked a national manhunt, after armed attackers killed dozens and abducted hundreds of residents last Friday. In a formal statement released by his spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu has issued a direct order for security forces to track down the perpetrators, condemning the assault on unarmed civilians as an act of barbarism against peace and humanity.
According to local accounts, the attackers simultaneously struck four villages – Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida, and Masaka – while congregations gathered for prayers at multiple mosques across the communities. Witnesses report the gunmen were clad in military-style uniforms when they launched their assault. A local youth leader, who chose to remain anonymous out of safety concerns, has claimed the abduction total could be as high as 500 people, though this figure has yet to be independently verified by official authorities.
Days after the attack, the kidnappers published a video to social media showing dozens of people they claim to be holding captive, gathered in a dense forest location. Reviewing the footage, the anonymous youth leader confirmed he was able to recognize multiple residents from his own community, including an elderly man from Gidan Zana who is a well-known community elder. For many families who spotted their missing loved ones on the video, the confirmation that their relatives are still alive has brought a small measure of relief amid widespread uncertainty. “At least they know where their loved ones are and hope they may be rescued, unlike those who still have no information about missing relatives,” the leader added.
Official casualty figures remain preliminary, but police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed that more than 40 people were killed in the attacks, though the exact death toll has not been finalized. Local officials add that the attackers left improvised explosive devices planted across affected communities as they forced abductees into the forest. One teenage boy attempting to escape was killed when one of these hidden explosives detonated, according to the local official account.
No formal ransom demands have been issued by the attackers as of yet, and Nigerian authorities have previously categorized such groups operating in the region as criminal bandit gangs that carry out kidnapping and looting operations to extract ransom payments. That said, local officials have grown increasingly concerned in recent months over overlapping expansion of jihadist extremist groups into northwestern Nigeria and the border region with Benin, with reports that fighters have entered local communities to impose strict religious restrictions on residents.
In the wake of the violence, thousands of local residents have fled their homes, seeking safety in neighboring Nigerian states or across the international border in Benin. Injured survivors are currently receiving medical care at local hospitals, with multiple people being treated for life-threatening wounds.
President Tinubu’s statement reiterated that all those responsible for the attack will be held accountable and will not escape justice, adding that the presidency extends its deepest condolences to the families of all those killed. The assault marks the latest escalation of a growing security crisis in the Borgu local government area, which shares borders with Kebbi state, Kwara state, and Benin. Earlier this month, Nigerian security forces announced the rescue of 145 people who had been abducted from four separate villages in the same region.