At least 30 people have been confirmed dead, and scores of others abducted following a brutal weekend raid on the Kasuwan Daji market in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The attack, which occurred at approximately 4:30 PM on Saturday, 03 January 2026, saw dozens of gunmen, locally referred to as ‘bandits’, descend on the market on motorcycles, opening fire indiscriminately on traders and shoppers.
Witnesses and police reports describe a calculated and vicious assault that lasted nearly three hours, noting that the gunmen arrived during the peak of market activities, shooting into the crowd. While police confirmed 30 deaths, residents and religious leaders from the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora put the toll at over 40, noting that women and children were among the victims.
After the initial shooting, the assailants set fire to market stalls and several nearby houses. They reportedly looted massive quantities of food items and livestock before retreating into the National Park Forest.
An unspecified number of residents, including children, were marched into the forest. This attack occurred less than 20km from Papiri, where over 300 schoolchildren were kidnapped just weeks ago in late 2025.
President Bola Tinubu issued a stern condemnation on Sunday, revealing a potential strategic reason for the sudden spike in violence in Niger State.
The Presidency suggested the attackers may be terrorists fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara states following the high-profile U.S. airstrikes conducted on Christmas Eve (24 December 2025).
Tinubu has directed a joint team of the military and secret police to “hunt down” the perpetrators. “These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country… they must face the full consequences,” the President stated.
Survivors have expressed frustration over the perceived absence of security forces during the three-hour ordeal. Dauda Shakulle, a resident wounded in the attack, told reporters: “There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began on Friday in nearby villages. We are currently recovering corpses on our own.”
