More than 200 gunmen overrun three communities near Borgu, tying victims' hands behind backs before killing them in message to those seeking government protection
Suspected bandits launched a devastating multi-pronged attack on three communities in Niger State's Borgu Local Government Area in the early hours of Saturday, killing at least 32 people, burning a police station to the ground, and abducting an unknown number of residents in what witnesses describe as a calculated message of defiance .
The coordinated assault began around 3:00 a.m. in Tunga-Makeri village before spreading to Konsoko and Pissa communities, with attackers numbering over 200 operating unchecked for hours across the remote region approximately 200 kilometres from the nearest military airbase .
'They Came to Teach Us a Lesson'
The brutality of the attack was matched only by its chilling intent. According to community sources who spoke with local media, the gunmen moved methodically from house to house, singling out residents they believed were advocating for government intervention in the area's worsening security crisis.
"Those killed are those suspected to be behind the calls for government protection. They did it as a warning to others," a local source told The Sun .
In Nkpaso community, one of the hardest hit areas, seven victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs before being slaughtered . The attackers also razed homes, looted shops, and forced the Konsoko police station to be abandoned after setting it ablaze, though no weapons were reportedly taken by the gunmen who "practically outnumbered" the officers on duty .
Contradictory Accounts, Mounting Death Toll
Police initially confirmed only six deaths, with spokesman SP Wasiu Abiodun telling journalists in Minna that reports remained "sketchy" . But as survivors emerged and information filtered out of the isolated region, a far grimmer picture took shape.
Daily Trust and The Source both reported that after the initial assault on Tunga-Makeri, the attackers moved to Pissa around 6:00 a.m., where they killed an additional 26 people . The attackers reportedly "shot sporadically" as they moved through the communities, leaving bodies scattered and survivors fleeing in all directions .
Hassan Abdullahi, a resident of the area, told Daily Trust the gunmen operated for several hours, from about 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., facing no resistance from overwhelmed security forces . A military helicopter was later sighted approaching the affected communities, but by then the attackers had melted away .
'Make Peace With Us'
The attack appears to have been deliberately timed to follow an SOS appeal issued just last week by political and traditional leaders across Borgu kingdom, who urgently requested the federal government establish a military base in the area .
The Christian Association of Nigeria's Niger State chairman and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, had warned that communities in Borgu and neighbouring Agwara LGAs were living "like refugees in their own communities" after months of relentless attacks .
Saturday's attackers reportedly told residents explicitly: "The government cannot protect them, and that the people are wasting their time. They said the people should find a way of making peace with them rather than seeking protection from the government" . They also promised more attacks.
Regional Crisis Deepens
The massacre in Borgu is the latest in a string of attacks that have turned Niger, Kwara, and Kogi states into "epicentres of insurgency in the North Central region," according to The Source . Just weeks ago, 42 people were killed in attacks on communities in Agwara and Borgu LGAs .
The violence is spilling across state lines. Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere raised alarm on Saturday about "escalating terror in states bordering the South-West," warning that repeated attacks in Kwara, Kogi and Niger, alongside recent kidnappings in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States, presented a "deeply troubling security trajectory" .
Afenifere noted that bandits struck again in Edo and Oyo on Thursday, abducting a junior secondary school girl in broad daylight from the bustling Challenge area of Ibadan . "Terror acts are no longer confined to rustic settings where government presence is thin, if at all," the organisation warned.
'We Know Who They Are'
The persistence of such attacks despite advance warnings has sparked fury among community leaders. Afenifere pointed to the testimony of the head of Woro village in Kwara's Kaiama LGA, Alhaji Umar Bio Salihu, who reportedly disclosed that a letter warning of impending attack had been written and forwarded to higher authorities before his village was attacked—yet the assault still occurred .
"The problem therefore is not lack of information, but the will to use the information in the interest of the people," Afenifere declared, calling for immediate establishment of state police and community-based security arrangements .
Search for Survivors Continues
As of Saturday evening, joint security teams had been deployed to the affected communities, but rescue efforts were complicated by the remote location and the attackers' head start . Abiodun confirmed that "efforts to rescue the victims is ongoing," though the exact number of those abducted remained unclear .
For the survivors of Tunga-Makeri, Konsoko, and Pissa, the message from their attackers was clear—and terrifying. In a region where pleas for help have been met with silence, the gunmen who came in the night made sure no one would forget who really controls the land.
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