Gunmen kill 32 in attack on northern Nigeria community, residents report

Gunmen riding on motorcycles tore through three villages in northern Nigeria on Saturday, leaving a trail of blood and ash in their wake. At least 32 people were killed and several others abducted in coordinated raids across the Borgu area of Niger State, according to residents, police and humanitarian sources, the Al Jazeera reported.

The assaults unfolded against the backdrop of a deepening security crisis in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs — often referred to locally as bandits — operate alongside fighters linked to groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram, preying on rural communities through killings, arson and kidnappings for ransom.

Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, confirmed that suspected bandits attacked Tunga-Makeri village, killing six people, setting homes ablaze and abducting an unspecified number of residents. He said the attackers later moved on to Konkoso village, while details of other affected areas were still being gathered, Al Jazeera reported.

In Konkoso, survivors described scenes of chaos and terror. Jeremiah Timothy, a resident, said the attack began in the early hours with bursts of gunfire shattering the dawn. By mid-morning, he said, at least 26 people had been killed after the attackers set the local police station on fire. The gunmen, he recounted, entered the village around 6am, shooting indiscriminately as military jets roared overhead.

Another resident, Abdullahi Adamu, echoed the grim toll, saying 26 people were killed in Konkoso alone. “They were operating freely without the presence of any security,” he told The Associated Press. Agence France-Presse, citing a humanitarian source, placed the death toll in the village even higher — at 38 — with victims reportedly shot or having their throats slit. Homes were razed, and as smouldering debris cooled, more bodies were said to be recovered.

After ravaging Konkoso, the gunmen reportedly struck Pissa village, torching another police station and killing at least one person. Many residents remain missing, according to locals, as families search for loved ones amid the ruins.

The latest violence follows a string of deadly attacks earlier this month in neighbouring Kwara State and Katsina State, where nearly 200 people were reported killed. The porous border between Niger and Kwara states encompasses the vast Kainji Forest, long regarded as a sanctuary for armed groups. In October, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed responsibility for its first attack inside Nigeria, near Woro in Kwara State, underscoring the widening arc of militancy.

Alarmed by the spiralling violence, religious and community leaders in Borgu last week urged President Bola Tinubu to establish a permanent military base in the area to stem the recurrent bloodshed.

Nigeria’s security challenges have also drawn international scrutiny. Last year, US President Donald Trump criticised Abuja for allegedly failing to protect Christians — a charge the Nigerian government has denied, insisting there is no systematic religious persecution. Independent analysts note that both Christians and Muslims have fallen victim to the country’s overlapping insurgencies and criminal violence.

Amid mounting pressure, Nigeria has intensified security cooperation with Washington. In December, the US military conducted air strikes in Sokoto State targeting what it described as armed fighters.

Yet for the residents of Borgu’s ravaged villages, the geopolitical calculations offer little solace. What remains are charred homes, grieving families and a growing sense of abandonment in the face of relentless violence.