MINNA, Nigeria — A brutal raid by armed gangs in Nigeria’s Niger State has left at least 30 people dead and several others abducted, marking a violent start to the year in a region already reeling from mass kidnappings. The attack occurred on Saturday, January 3, 2026, in Kasuwan Daji village, located in the Kabe district, the same area where hundreds of schoolchildren were seized in late 2025.
According to local reports and police statements, the armed groups, colloquially known as “bandits,” stormed the village market during the afternoon. The attackers set the marketplace ablaze and systematically looted shops for food and supplies before turning their weapons on the residents.
Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police, confirmed the severity of the incident in a statement released Sunday.
“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped,” Abiodun said.
Disturbing imagery from the scene, viewed by international news agencies, revealed that some of the deceased were found with their hands bound behind their backs, suggesting a calculated execution of victims during the three-hour ordeal.
International context: The “Christmas strike” fallout
The Nigerian presidency has linked the surge in violence to recent international military intervention. President Bola Tinubu’s office suggested that the raiders may be “terrorists” fleeing south following the high-profile Christmas Day airstrikes conducted by the United States.
Those strikes, ordered by the Trump administration, targeted militants in northwestern Nigeria linked to the Islamic State.
In a statement relayed by his media adviser, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu vowed that the perpetrators “will be caught and brought to justice,” along with anyone found to be aiding them. He further remarked:
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must, therefore, face the full consequences of their criminal actions.”
Disparities in death toll and security gaps
While official police figures place the death toll at 30, local religious leaders suggest the carnage is more extensive. The Catholic Church in the Kontagora Diocese reported that more than 40 people were killed and criticized the delayed response from security forces.
“Reports indicate the bandits operated for hours with no security presence,” the Catholic Church stated on its official Facebook page.
Also Read: Trump orders strike on ISIS in Nigeria, wishes ‘Merry Christmas to the dead terrorists’
The proximity of this attack to Papiri village—where over 250 students and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in November 2025—has heightened fears that the region remains a high-risk zone for soft-target attacks.
A non-sectarian crisis
Information Minister Mohammed Idris addressed the religious undertones often associated with Nigerian security challenges, emphasizing that the bandits do not discriminate based on faith.
“Those killed and those abducted — were traders, farmers, parents, schoolchildren from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds,” Idris stated, adding that “the bullets” did not “choose victims based on religion.”
The Nigerian government has recently increased defense spending in the 2026 budget and reorganized its military leadership to address the multiple security threats facing the continent’s most populous nation, ranging from jihadist insurgencies to farmer-herder conflicts.
