Armed gangs have killed more than 30 people and abducted several others during a violent raid in Niger State, northwestern Nigeria, police confirmed on Sunday.
The attack occurred in the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were kidnapped late last year.
According to police, the assailants stormed Kasuwan Daji village in the Kabe district on Saturday, setting the local market on fire and looting shops for food.
Niger State police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said over 30 people were killed, while others were taken hostage.
President Bola Tinubu’s office suggested the attackers may have been terrorists fleeing from other parts of northwestern Nigeria after Christmas Day airstrikes by the United States targeting militants linked to the Islamic State group.
In a statement issued through his media adviser, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu vowed that the attackers and anyone who aided them would be arrested and brought to justice.
Images from the scene showed some victims had their hands tied behind their backs. Local church officials reported a higher death toll, estimating that more than 40 people were killed.
The Catholic Church in Kontagora said the attackers operated for hours without any security presence.
The raid happened less than 20 kilometers from Papiri village, where more than 250 students and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in November.
The victims were later released in two groups, though authorities did not disclose whether a ransom was paid.
Gangs, commonly known as “bandits” in Nigeria, frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom and attack rural communities.
Niger State has been among the hardest hit by such violence in recent months.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris emphasized that the victims were not targeted based on religion, noting that those killed and abducted included Muslims and Christians—traders, farmers, parents, and schoolchildren alike.
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