At least 60 people were killed after armed attackers stormed Kasuwan Daji Market in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday, in one of the deadliest assaults in the region in recent months, local residents and officials said.
The attackers, believed to have emerged from the Kainji Lake National Park, struck the busy market around 4 p.m., surrounding traders and shoppers before opening fire, abducting several people—mainly women and children—and setting parts of the market and nearby homes ablaze.
Rescue efforts continued more than 12 hours after the attack, as villagers from surrounding communities searched nearby bushes for victims. At least 43 bodies—belonging to both Muslims and Christians—were buried in a mass funeral on Sunday, according to local sources, while the overall death toll was feared to be higher.
Among those abducted were pupils and students of St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA—some of whom had only recently been rescued from a previous mass kidnapping in November, Daily Trust reported.
Residents said the assailants continued their rampage after leaving the market, moving through nearby communities, shooting residents, torching houses and looting food supplies and valuables worth millions of naira.
“They operated freely from late afternoon into the night,” said Marcus Philips Adoka, a resident. “People were kidnapped, many were injured, and bodies are still being recovered.”
Another resident said the attackers locked some residents inside their homes before setting the buildings on fire, forcing others to flee with gunshot wounds.
The affected area lies close to Papiri, where more than 200 pupils and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School were abducted on November 21, 2025, in an incident that drew national outrage. The victims were later rescued following a security operation coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Rev. Father Stephen Kabirat, said the attackers had earlier attempted to abduct a parish priest, looting the mission house and kidnapping villagers, including children.
“As we speak, some communities have abandoned their homes and are sleeping in the bush because of fear,” he said.
Niger State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Obed Nuhu Nana, confirmed that the attackers also struck a police outpost in Shafacci village and a Catholic school in Sukumbara, destroying property and stealing motorcycles.
He said intelligence suggested the attackers were Boko Haram elements who relocated from Kainji Lake National Park following recent U.S. airstrikes on militant hideouts in Sokoto and Kwara states.
The Niger State Police Command said joint security teams confirmed that at least 30 people were killed, while several others were abducted. Efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the attack and directed the Minister of Defence, the service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to track down and apprehend the perpetrators.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country,” the president said in a statement issued by spokesman Bayo Onanuga. “They must be hunted down and brought to justice.”
Tinubu also ordered the immediate rescue of all abducted victims and vowed to intensify security operations around forested areas believed to serve as criminal hideouts.
The Northern State Governors’ Forum also condemned the attack, calling it a brutal assault on innocent civilians and a threat to regional stability.
“This kind of violence against traders, women and ordinary citizens is morally reprehensible,” said the forum’s chairman and Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
