Massacres, Burned Villages—and the Church Says Just Pray…Nigerian Forces Kill Top Terror Leader, Hit Sambisa Camps…Bandit Attack Claims Lives of 3 Local Watchmen…Nigerian Troops Eliminate Bandit Leader Ibrahim Kaboni
- While Villagers Are Hunted Down, Nigerian Bishop Tells Flock to Keep Praying
A Nigerian Catholic bishop is urging prayers rather than action as brutal attacks by Fulani ethnic militias force villagers from their homes and leave communities in ruins. Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, made the plea Thursday during a Chrism Mass, even as thousands remain displaced in squalid camps.
“If displaced persons remained in the camps without an end in sight of their return to their ancestral homes, it is a signal that they had relinquished their lands to the invaders,” Anagbe said as reported by Nigerian media.
At least nine camps shelter Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in his diocese alone, after waves of violence that have killed countless civilians and wiped out entire communities. Still, Anagbe called for faith.
“We need to go to God in prayer because He is our only hope, and if we hope in Him, our hope will not be in vain,” he said.
- Nigerian Troops Take Out Top Terrorist, Bomb Hideouts in Sambisa
Nigerian troops have killed Bello Kaura, a notorious terrorist leader, in a precision airstrike. The strike was one of several carried out between April 10 and 16 across northern Nigeria.
“During the encounters, many terrorists were neutralized, including an identified terrorist kingpin, Bello Kaura, in an air interdiction,” said Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force said it conducted two successful strikes on April 15 in Borno State’s Sambisa region, a longtime stronghold for extremist groups.
The airstrikes targeted Kollaram and Arra areas using precision-guided munitions to destroy terrorist camps and disrupt their operations. The strikes “eliminated several fighters and disabled key infrastructure,” according to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, NAF spokesperson.
No specific casualty figures were released. “These back-to-back missions are part of a sustained air campaign… to eliminate sanctuaries across Nigeria,” Ejodame added.
- Community Watch Volunteers Gunned Down in Northern Nigeria
Three members of a community watch group were shot and killed Wednesday during a routine patrol in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, according to Zagazola Makama.
The victims, Bashir Abdussalam, 40; Halluru Bishir, 43; and Sani Bala, 49, were ambushed by suspected bandits around 12:30 p.m. local time. The men sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to a state-owned hospital where they were pronounced dead.
The attack highlights the persistent threat of armed violence in rural Nigerian communities, where local watch groups often support state security forces by providing intelligence and helping to secure remote areas.
Katsina State, the home state of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has experienced a surge in armed attacks in recent years, frequently attributed to loosely organized bandit groups.
- Bandit Leader Ibrahim Kaboni and 8 Fighters Killed in Military Operation
Nigerian troops have killed Ibrahim Kaboni, a notorious bandit leader, and eight of his fighters in an ambush on the outskirts of Tsafe town in Zamfara State.
According to Zagazola Makama, the ambush took place on April 16, 2025 after months of surveillance on Kaboni’s group. A heavy exchange of gunfire ensued as the bandits attempted to flee under intense fire from security forces.
Kaboni, a key figure on the security watchlist for his involvement in numerous kidnappings and cattle rustling incidents, was reportedly killed along with his men. While some bandits managed to escape with bullet wounds, others were subdued in the ambush. Kaboni had been notorious for terrorizing Tsafe and surrounding towns for years.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
