At least 30 villagers were killed and many others abducted after gunmen attacked a village in northern Nigeria’s Niger state, police said on Sunday. The assault is the latest in a series of violent attacks in the conflict-hit region.
The attackers stormed Kasuwan-Daji village in Borgu local government area on Saturday evening and opened fire on residents. They also set the local market and several houses on fire, Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement.
Residents said the death toll was higher than official figures. At least two villagers put the number of those killed at 37 and warned it could rise further, as several people were still missing on Sunday. They also said security forces had not reached the area, contradicting police claims of deployments.
Such attacks have become frequent in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where armed gangs often target remote communities with little security presence and weak government control.
Saturday’s attack occurred near Papiri community, where more than 300 schoolchildren and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in November, highlighting the region’s ongoing insecurity.
Police said the attackers entered Kasuwan-Daji from the National Park Forest through the Kabe district. Officials said vast, abandoned forest reserves are often used as hideouts by armed groups.
Nigeria boat tragedy leaves 25 dead, 14 missing
Yobe: At least 25 people died and 14 others remained missing after a passenger boat capsized in northern Nigeria’s Yobe state, emergency officials said on Sunday.
The boat was carrying local residents returning from a market, along with fishermen and farmers, when it capsized on the Yobe River in Garbi town on Saturday night, according to the state emergency management agency.
Out of the 52 people on board, 13 were rescued alive and are currently receiving medical treatment, the agency said in a statement.
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