At least 46 people were killed when motorcycle-riding gunmen stormed three villages in central Nigeria, shooting residents and slitting throats, a humanitarian source told AFP on Saturday.
According to a security report seen by the media, the attackers arrived on 41 motorcycles, each carrying two to three armed men.
The villages targeted are located in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, bordering Kwara State. Earlier this month, jihadists killed more than 160 people in an attack in the same region.
The deadliest assault took place in Konkoso village, where at least 38 people were killed. Most houses were set ablaze, and additional bodies were still being recovered, the source said, requesting anonymity.
A resident of Konkoso said the attackers first struck the nearby village of Tungan Makeri around 6:00 am before moving to his village. A Niger State police spokesperson confirmed that six people were killed in Tungan Makeri.
The gunmen also attacked Pissa village, where they reportedly set a police station on fire and killed one person. Several houses were burned, and an unspecified number of people were abducted. Four women were among those kidnapped, according to residents. Many people remain missing, raising fears that the death toll could rise further.
The border area between Niger and Kwara states includes the Kainji Forest, known as a hideout for bandits and jihadist groups.
Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency in its northeast for over 16 years. The country is also facing violence linked to farmer-herder conflicts in the north-central region, separatist unrest in the southeast, and widespread kidnappings in the northwest.
Jihadist groups have expanded operations into the northwest and west-central regions amid growing instability in neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. Armed criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, continue to carry out killings, looting and kidnappings.
Earlier in February, more than 160 people were killed in an attack on Woro village in Kwara State. The al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed responsibility for its first attack on Nigerian soil near Woro last October.
Religious and community leaders in Borgu recently urged President Bola Tinubu to establish a military base in the area to curb recurring attacks.
The United States military coordinated with Nigerian authorities to carry out airstrikes in Sokoto State on December 25, targeting suspected Islamic State jihadists.
Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted and subjected to “genocide” by terrorists. However, Nigerian authorities and most analysts reject the claim, saying the violence affects both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
