A dark cloud has descended over Niger State following a savage weekend attack on a local market that left at least 30 villagers dead and many others missing.
On Saturday afternoon, the tranquility of the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Kabe District, was shattered when heavily armed men—suspected to be bandits operating from the dense cover of the Kainji Lake National Park —launched a coordinated assault on traders and shoppers.
Witnesses described a scene of absolute carnage as the gunmen emerged from the forest around 4:30 p.m. The attackers did not only focus on killing; they systematically looted shops and set the entire market ablaze, destroying the primary economic hub of the Borgu Local Government Area.
Survivors recounted how the bandits shot indiscriminately at fleeing villagers before herding scores of captives back toward the expansive National Park.
The Niger State Police Command officially confirmed the tragedy on Sunday. Speaking through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the authorities detailed the timeline of the horror.
“On 03/01/2026 at about 9 p.m., information received revealed that at about 4:30 p.m. of the same date, suspected bandits from the National Park forest along Kabe District invaded Kasuwan Daji, located at Demo village via Kabe, burnt the market, looted shops, and carted away food items,” Abiodun stated.
The full extent of the loss only became clear the following morning when a joint security team reached the smoldering remains of the village.
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“On 04/01/2026 at about 8 a.m., a report indicated that a joint security team visited the scene, and over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack,” the PPRO added. “Some persons were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims. Further developments will be communicated.”
This latest massacre occurs amidst a worsening security climate in Niger State. It follows a harrowing incident on November 21, 2025, when bandits on motorcycles stormed St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Agwara LGA, abducting 315 students and teachers in a three-hour siege.
While the Federal Government successfully negotiated the return of those captives, the recent market bloodbath suggests that the bandits remain emboldened and capable of high-casualty strikes.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had previously expressed relief following the resolution of the school kidnapping, stating on December 21 that the pupils: “…numbering 230, have been freed.”
However, with 30 more lives lost and a fresh set of families now mourning abducted relatives, the pressure is mounting on security forces to neutralize the criminal cells using the Kainji Lake National Park as a fortress.
Joint security forces and local hunters are reportedly combing the paths leading into the forest. As of Sunday evening, no group has claimed responsibility for the market attack, and the exact number of those abducted remains unconfirmed.
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