Following a series of coordinated assaults that devastated several communities, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed security agencies to launch an intensified manhunt for those responsible.
The order follows deadly attacks on Kasuwan Daji and nearby villages in Agwara and Borgu local government areas of Niger State, where dozens of residents were killed and many others abducted, including women and children.
In a statement on Sunday, the President said he had instructed the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to swiftly track down and arrest the perpetrators. He warned that anyone aiding or shielding the attackers would also face prosecution.
Tinubu also directed the immediate rescue of abducted victims and the reinforcement of security in vulnerable communities, especially those close to forest corridors used by armed groups.
Local accounts indicate that the attacks lasted several days, with assailants exploiting weak security presence. In Kasuwan Daji near Papiri, dozens were reportedly killed, while other fatalities were recorded in Kaima village. Several residents, including pupils of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, were abducted and taken into forest hideouts.
The attackers were also said to have burned a local market, looted shops and carted away food items, forcing many residents to flee their homes.
Confirming the violence, the Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Reverend Father Stephen Kabirat, said more than 40 people were killed and several others abducted. He added that a parish priest narrowly escaped abduction during an attack on a mission house.
The Niger State Police Command said suspected bandits invaded Kasuwan Daji from forest areas around Kabe, killing over 30 people and abducting an unspecified number of residents. Police added that joint security forces have been deployed and rescue operations are ongoing.
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