Terrorists suspected to be members of the Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction have raided Kasuwan Daji, a Niger State village roughly 23 kilometres from Papiri, where schoolchildren were abducted last year.
The attack occurred on the evening of 3 January. Multiple sources told our reporter that the terrorists killed at least 35 people and kidnapped an unspecified number of others, mostly women and children.
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Our sources, whose names have been withheld for security reasons, said the terrorists set fire to many houses, including the village’s market, before leaving.
“We cannot estimate the number of houses burnt now, but I personally counted 35 bodies,” a source who lives about four kilometres away from the village said.
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An aftershock video of the incident shared with our reporter shows that many of those killed were slaughtered, with their hands tied behind their backs.
“Some of them were shot in the head, some were slaughtered,” another source, a resident of Papiri who farms in the village, said.
Those killed were all males, and their ages ranged between 70 and 12, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.
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The attack
The terrorists announced their arrival with the firing of a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), a survivor of the attack narrated to one of our sources in a telephone conversation Saturday evening.
This was corroborated by other sources we spoke to, including a traditional leader in Demo, a neighbouring village to the scene of the incident.
“When they shot that long bomb (RPG), many people dashed into the forest,” the traditional leader said. “The terrorists chased and killed them.”
“Some, especially the old men, were picked from their rooms where they were hiding,” he added. “They brought them outside, tied them up and executed them.”
Confirming the attack, the spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, said preliminary reports showed that more than 30 people were killed, while several others were kidnapped.
“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,” Mr Abiodun said.
“They burnt the market, looted shops and carted away food items.”
He added that a joint security team visited the community on Sunday morning.
“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack. Some people were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims, and further developments will be communicated,” the police spokesperson said.
Saturday’s attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have deepened insecurity across parts of Niger State, particularly in Borgu, Shiroro and Agwara local government areas.
In late November 2025, the state government ordered the closure of public and private schools following the abduction of pupils and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
ALSO READ: ANALYSIS: Nigeria’s schoolchildren remain targets in mass abductions
The mass abduction, which initially left more than 200 pupils and teachers unaccounted for, triggered nationwide concern and forced authorities to shut down educational institutions as a precaution.
Although all the abducted pupils and staff were later rescued in phases after sustained security operations, attacks on rural communities and markets have continued, raising fresh concerns about safety in the state.
Only last week, the Niger State Government announced plans to partially reopen schools from 12 January, citing improved security assessments in some areas, while maintaining closures in communities still considered unsafe.
Residents of Borgu said the latest market attack underscored the fragility of security gains and renewed calls for stronger protection of rural communities that remain vulnerable to armed groups operating from forested areas.
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