No fewer than 30 people were killed and several others abducted on Saturday when suspected bandits attacked a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The assailants, believed to be operating from the Kainji Lake National Park, reportedly invaded Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village via Kabe, setting the market ablaze, looting food items and wares, and shooting at villagers before fleeing with abducted victims into the surrounding forest.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, the Niger State Police Command said a joint security team had visited the scene, while investigations and rescue efforts were ongoing.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the attack occurred on January 3, 2026.
“On 03/01/2026 at about 9 p.m., information was received that at about 4:30 p.m. of the same day, 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 said.
He added that a follow-up report indicated heavy casualties.
“On 04/01/2026 at about 8 a.m., a joint security team visited the scene and over 30 persons were confirmed dead during the attack. Some persons were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims, while further developments will be communicated,” he said.
The attack adds to a series of violent incidents linked to bandit groups in Niger State.
On November 21, 2025, gunmen abducted more than 300 pupils and students from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. The attackers reportedly arrived on motorcycles in the early hours of the day and spent several hours abducting students and teachers from the school dormitories.
In the aftermath, about 50 pupils escaped within the first 24 hours, while the Federal Government later secured the release of others. On December 21, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced that all remaining abducted pupils of the Papiri school had been freed.
