Nigeria’s rural north is unravelling.
Entire communities are fleeing in the dead of night. Gunmen are storming villages and relaxation spots. Families are burying their dead.
And critics say the country’s political class appears more energised about the 2027 elections than the bodies piling up today.
Villages Vanish in Bauchi
In Gwana District, Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, homes now stand abandoned after a deadly attack during Ramadan left at least four people dead and dozens abducted.
Residents were gathered to break their fast when gunmen struck.
Photos show desperate families loading mattresses, food supplies and children onto motorcycles, fleeing toward neighbouring states. Farms have been deserted. Livestock left untended.
“We cannot sleep anymore,” one resident said. “There is no protection.”
In a February 23 statement, Amnesty International warned that Nigeria’s deepening insecurity is “getting out of hand,” describing the Bauchi assault as vicious and marked by a “contemptible disregard for human life.”
Women and girls were reportedly among those abducted.
Nine Shot Dead in Plateau
Hours later, violence flared again.
Gunmen stormed a relaxation spot in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing at least nine people around 7:15 p.m.
Witnesses say attackers opened fire without warning.
The massacre came less than 24 hours after a curfew had been imposed in a troubled nearby village where earlier raids left at least 10 residents dead.
For locals, the symbolism was chilling: even places meant for rest are now targets.
Community representatives accused armed herders of orchestrating coordinated attacks and weaponizing claims of cattle poisoning to justify reprisals. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has previously denied involvement in such violence. Authorities have not formally identified the attackers.
“We have been pushed to the wall,” one spokesman said. “They are killing Nigerians and moving freely.”
Army Repels Ambush—But Fear Persists
In Kebbi State, the Nigerian Army says it foiled a deadly ambush targeting a senior commander’s convoy near Mayama Hill. Five suspected terrorists were killed, and weapons recovered.
The military framed it as a tactical victory.
But for civilians fleeing Bauchi and Plateau, battlefield successes offer little reassurance when attackers continue to strike villages, markets and prayer gatherings.
2027 Over Security?
With insecurity spreading from Bauchi to Plateau and across the North-West, frustration is boiling over.
Critics argue that political elites appear increasingly consumed by coalition-building, party realignments and early manoeuvring for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections—while rural communities empty out and survivors count their dead.
The optics are stark:
- Ramadan gatherings turn into killing fields.
- Curfews fail to stop gunmen.
- Entire districts are deserted overnight.
Across northern Nigeria, one question grows louder:
If leaders are preparing for the next election, who is protecting citizens today?
