Nigerian Army Pledges to Stand up a Forward Operating Base in Kusheka
By Mike Odeh James
(Kaduna) Violence returned to Kusheka, Kauru County, Southern Kaduna, Nigeria, with devastating brutality as Fulani terrorists launched another deadly attack, killing three people and kidnapping eight others, including a young man with dreams of national service, TruthNigeria, can report.
The attack happened on Monday, March 24, 2025. Among the victims was 25-year-old Obadiah Dangana, a recent graduate awaiting his call-up to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), said a village source.
Dangana had set out on a journey from Kwassam to Galadimawa—both villages under Kusheka, a town of 55,000 —to drop off his younger sister, unaware that he was riding into the hands of death.
According to Solomon Jethro, a Kusheka resident, who got his information from an abductee of the terrorists, the road between Kusheka, Galadimawa, and Kwassam winds through a dense forest—a place that has become a hunting ground for Fulani terrorists.
“After dropping his sister at their home, as he was returning, he encountered a tree that had been deliberately felled across the path to block travelers,” Jethro recounted. “When Dangana reached the obstruction, he stopped and got down to clear the way. But the moment he did, 10 armed men—Fulani militants—emerged from the shadows of the forest.” What followed was a scene of unimaginable cruelty.
The attackers pounced on Dangana, striking him with their rifles. Alone but defiant, he fought back with everything he had. But outnumbered and outmatched, he was soon overpowered. Bleeding and battered, his hands were tied behind his back before he was dragged into the depths of Kwassam forest, his fate uncertain.
Four kidnapped, three killed. According to Jethro, Dangana was not their only target. The Fulani militants were on a kidnapping spree, hunting Christians of the ethnic Surubu tribe and using them as bargaining chips for extorting millions of naira from their families. As they moved deeper into the forest, they encountered three others who had gone to gather firewood. The terrorists abducted them as well, forcing them to march alongside Dangana. Weakened by injuries inflicted earlier by his captors, Dangana—whose father is a preacher at the Baptist Church—told them he could no longer walk. When he collapsed, the militants attempted to force him forward. When he refused, they shot him point blank to the head,” Jethro said.
According to Christopher Moses, a fellow captive, the terrorists also killed two other hostages when they deemed them too slow to keep up. Moses’s escape came when a hunter, hearing the gunfire, approached to investigate. “The Fulani militants opened fire on the hunter, who shot back with his pipe gun—but it was no match for their AK-47s.
“As they moved in to confirm whether they had killed him, I seized the opportunity to flee into the bush,” Moses said. “By sheer luck, I stumbled upon a unit of Nigerian soldiers, who I led back to the scene,” he added. “The soldiers opened fire into the forest for over 20 minutes, but by then, the militants had likely escaped.” Victims Identified The names of those killed on Monday, March 24, 2025, are Emmanuel Moses, Danjuma Sarduna, and Obadiah B. Dangana.
Hunter, Eight Others Kidnapped
Kusheka resident Solomon Jethro confirmed to TruthNigeria that another group of Fulani terrorists invaded Kusheka from the east and kidnapped eight people, who they took into the forest, Monday, March 24, 2025.
When asked whether the victims were taken to Rijana forest in Chikun County, Jethro said: “There is a forest between Kwassam and Galadimawa, and it lies along the road to Kusheka town. “If you are coming from Kaduna to Kusheka, you have to pass through Kwassam and Galadimawa—and that means going through the forest.
“It is far away from Rijana by over 180 miles,” he said. He further explained that he believes the eight kidnapped victims are currently being held in Kwassam forest.
“The terrorists are demanding ₦10.03 million per victim before they will be released,” he said.
Nigeria Army to Establish Base in Kwassam
Speaking to TruthNigeria, a resident of Kusheka said that the Nigerian Army has established a forward operating base (FOB) in Kwassam to tackle the incessant kidnapping and killings in Kusheka.
“I am hoping that the Nigerian military will go into the forest and kill or chase the Fulani terrorists out of our forest and villages. However, we are happy that we now have an Army base,” Jethro said.
More than 50,000 people have fled Kusheka and its villages due to the unrelenting violence and abductions by armed Fulani militias,” according to Dr. Michael Duwai, a retired sports doctor has told TruthNigeria.
“Most of the residents have abandoned their villages and fled to neighboring communities for safety,” Duwai said. “The attacks are carried out by armed Fulani militias who invade at night, firing indiscriminately, killing residents, and kidnapping villagers—especially women and children—while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’”
As of March 2025, the number of displaced persons from Kusheka and its surrounding communities exceeds 50,000,” Duwai noted.
Kusheka, located in Kauru County, lies 70 miles Southeast of the Kaduna state capital. The community, predominantly inhabited by the Surubu ethnic group, was once known for its vast agricultural productivity. Farmers cultivated white beans, soya beans, maize, guinea corn, groundnut, tamba, and rice. The population of Kusheka and the Surubu people is over 90 percent Christian, with Catholics and Baptists having the largest followings. The largest churches are St. Mary’s Parish and Albarka Baptist Church. However, relentless attacks attributed to armed Fulani militias have led to a mass exodus of families, leaving behind abandoned farmlands and shattered livelihoods.
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
