President Bola Tinubu has ordered a sweeping manhunt for the gunmen behind a deadly raid on communities in Niger state that left more than 40 people dead and many others abducted, in one of the bloodiest attacks in the area in recent months.
In a statement personally signed on Sunday, Tinubu said he had directed the minister of defence, the chief of defence staff, service chiefs, the inspector general of police, and the head of the domestic intelligence agency to track down those responsible for the attack on Kasuwan Daji and ensure they were brought to justice.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people,” the president said. “No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down. Those who aid, abet or enable them will also be brought to justice.”
Tinubu also ordered the immediate rescue of all abducted victims and the intensification of security operations around vulnerable communities, particularly those located near forests that have increasingly served as hideouts for armed groups.
“These times demand our humanity,” he said. “We must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison. United, we can and must defeat them and deny them any sanctuary.”
The presidential directive followed coordinated attacks by suspected bandits on Saturday afternoon in Agwara and Borgu local government areas of Niger state. According to police, the attackers are believed to have emerged from the national park forest along Kabe district before descending on Kasuwan Daji in Demo village.
The police spokesperson in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, said the assault began around 4.30pm and lasted several hours. “Suspected bandits invaded Kasuwan Daji, killed over 30 persons, burnt the market, looted shops and carted away food items,” he said, adding that the remoteness of the area meant the attackers initially encountered little resistance.
Security forces were later deployed, and a joint team has since visited the scene, Abiodun said, as efforts continue to locate and rescue those taken captive.
While police put the death toll at more than 30, residents and community leaders say the number of victims is significantly higher. The Catholic diocese of Kontagora said at least 40 people were killed in the raid.
“The terrorists have killed over 40 persons and taken some into captivity,” said Rev Fr Stephen Kabirat, the diocese’s director of communications. He added that the parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when gunmen attacked the mission house days earlier, destroying religious items and stealing motorbikes and cash.
Local sources said women and children were among those abducted and that the violence extended beyond Kasuwan Daji to other villages in Agwara and Borgu. One community source, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said no fewer than 42 people were killed across the affected areas, with students among those taken from St Mary’s private Catholic schools in Papiri.
Fear has since spread across the region, with residents fleeing to neighbouring villages or crossing rivers in search of safety. “People are living in fear, and many communities are now deserted,” the source said, appealing for urgent government intervention.
The latest killings come against the backdrop of repeated attacks in the area. In November 2025, gunmen raided St Mary’s Catholic primary and secondary school in Papiri, abducting 315 pupils, students and teachers. They were released about a month later following federal government intervention.
Condemnation of the violence has come from across the country. The governor of Ogun state and chair of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, described the killings as “callous, senseless and a crime against humanity”.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Sunday, Abiodun extended condolences to Niger state governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the families of the victims. “The cowardly onslaught on innocent citizens going about their lawful business represents a stain on our nation’s conscience,” he said, urging security agencies to deploy all available resources to “completely crush” the perpetrators and prevent further bloodshed.
As security operations intensify, communities in Niger state wait anxiously for relief — and for assurances that the cycle of attacks that has haunted the region will finally be broken.
