At least 30 people have been killed after suspected bandits attacked a village market in central Nigeria’s Niger State.
The assailants stormed the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Borgu Local Government Area, on Saturday afternoon. Witnesses say the gunmen set fire to stalls and looted food supplies before fleeing into the nearby Kainji Lake National Park.
In a statement released on Sunday, Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the death toll and said a “joint security team” had been deployed to the scene.
“Suspected bandits… invaded Kasuwan Daji, burnt the market, looted shops, and carted away food items,” Superintendent Abiodun said. He added that a number of villagers had also been abducted and that efforts to rescue them were ongoing.
Escalating violence
The attack is the latest in a wave of violence by armed gangs—locally known as bandits—who have long terrorised rural communities in northwestern and central Nigeria. These groups typically carry out mass abductions for ransom and cattle rustling.
This weekend’s raid follows a major kidnapping in November 2025, when more than 300 students and teachers were taken from a Catholic school in the same state. While the federal government announced that the remaining 230 pupils from that incident were freed in December, the resurgence of violence in the region has raised fresh concerns over security.
Key Details of the Attack:
- Location: Demo village, near the Kainji Lake National Park.
- Casualties: 30 confirmed dead; “scores” reported missing or abducted.
- Damage: Market stalls razed; food and merchandise looted.
Local residents say the proximity of the National Park—a vast forest spanning thousands of square kilometres—provides a convenient hideout for the gangs, making it difficult for security forces to track them.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly promised to crack down on the groups, but the vast, under-policed borderlands continue to be flashpoints for violence.
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