Bandits have attacked Damala village in the Woko district of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, killing at least four people.
The assault occurred in the early hours of Saturday, January 10, barely a week after gunmen killed at least 42 residents in a series of coordinated attacks on communities in Borgu and neighbouring Agwara local government areas, including the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village.
The Niger State Police Command confirmed the latest attack to The Telegraph on Sunday.
In a statement, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, said the attackers stormed Damala village, rustled an unspecified number of cattle and killed four residents.
He added that the assailants also set several shops on fire before fleeing the area.
According to Abiodun, security operatives responded promptly and have since visited the affected community. A clearance operation is ongoing, while surveillance has been intensified to prevent further attacks and protect residents.
The police spokesman assured the public that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible and restore calm in the area.
Bandit attacks, often involving mass kidnappings for ransom and village raids, have become frequent across Nigeria’s North-Central and North-West regions. Niger State has been among the worst affected, alongside Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
In November, armed gangs abducted more than 250 students and staff from a Catholic school in Niger State. The victims were released in two batches weeks later, although authorities did not disclose whether a ransom was paid.
Saturday’s attack occurred less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Papiri village, where the school abductions took place.
Meanwhile, the local Catholic Church in Kontagora reported a significantly higher death toll from the earlier Kasuwan Daji market attack, placing the number of fatalities at more than 40 — well above the official police figure.
“Reports indicate that the bandits operated for hours without any security presence,” the church said in a post on its Facebook page.
Multiple security threats
Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, said the Kasuwan Daji attack did not target victims based on religion.
“The bullets did not choose victims by faith,” Idris said. “Those killed and abducted were traders, farmers, parents and schoolchildren from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds.”
Nigeria’s security forces remain overstretched as Africa’s most populous country grapples with multiple conflicts, including a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeast, banditry in the northwest and north-central regions, farmer-herder clashes, and separatist violence in the southeast.
On Christmas Eve, a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people in an attack on a mosque in Borno State.
In recent months, the United States has criticised Nigeria’s inability to contain the violence, with President Donald Trump characterising the situation as “persecution” of Christians, a claim rejected by the Nigerian government and independent analysts.
Despite those denials, the US carried out surprise airstrikes on Christmas Day against militants linked to the Islamic State group, operations which Nigerian authorities later said had been approved by Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu has since pledged a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s security architecture. In December, he increased defence spending in the 2026 budget and replaced the defence minister, appointing a former senior military commander to the post.
