By Onibiyo Segun
(Kasuwan Daji, Borgu, Niger State)- At least 30 villagers were shot dead, or executed by throat cutting, and many more abducted when heavily armed gunmen stormed the Kasuwan Daji market in Borgu county of Niger State, North Central, Nigeria on Saturday, January 3 in the afternoon.
Residents said women and children were not spared as attackers burned stalls, looted food, and turned the market into a killing field, according to Reuters.
The assault fits a familiar pattern across northwest and north-central Nigeria, where gunmen on motorcycles emerge from forest hideouts, fire into crowds, seize captives, and vanish before security forces arrive.
Kasuwan Daji is situated near thick forest reserves along the Kabe district, terrain residents and analysts say offers cover and escape routes for armed
groups operating across Niger, Kebbi, and Zamfara states in the Northwest Nigeria.
“They shot everyone they saw,” said Dauda Shakulle, a trader wounded while fleeing through nearby farmland.
“There were bodies everywhere, women, children. No one was spared.” Dauda Shakulle told TruthNigeria.
Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the attack occurred around 4:30 p.m. on January 3 and described the attackers as “bandits” believed to be
operating from forest corridors near the Kabe axis. He said security forces had launched operations to rescue abducted victims.
Federal Government Response
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through his media spokesman Bayo Onanuga, condemned the killings and ordered the military, police, and Department of State Services to track down the attackers and rescue abducted villagers. He warned that anyone aiding the perpetrators would face justice. (See related story by Masara Kim on his site.)
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country,” the president said. By close of the news day Jan. 5, no terrorist group affiliated with Islamic State or Al Qaeda had been referenced by the Federal Government.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described the attack as “heartbreaking,” saying victims included both Christians and Muslims, and
vowed to work with federal authorities to secure vulnerable communities and rescue abductees.
Eyewitness Accounts
“They came on motorcycles, shooting with AK-47s,” said Mariatu Ibrahim, who lost relatives in the attack.
“People ran into the fields. Children were crying. There was no security presence when it started.” She added.
Defense Analysts: What This Means
Security analyst Dr. Chidi Okoye, director of the Centre for Conflict Analysis, said markets remain “soft targets.”
“These attacks are designed to terrorize civilians, steal supplies, and fund operations through kidnapping,” he said.
Another analyst, Aisha Muhammed of Sahel Security Watch, warned that displaced fighters are spreading southward.
“Gunmen pushed from one zone don’t disappear, they relocate. This is expected – markets, schools, worship centers and the likes become easy targets for these terrorists,” she said.
Kasuwan Daji follows earlier attacks in Niger State:
• November 2025: Gunmen abducted hundreds of schoolchildren from a Catholic school in Borgu.
• 2022: Bandits ambushed security forces in Shiroro, killing dozens.
The attack comes days after U.S. airstrikes on extremist targets in northwest Nigeria, operations officials say may have displaced armed groups into neighboring states.
Aftermath
As families searched through burned stalls and fresh graves, residents said warnings about armed movement near forest paths had gone unheeded, a familiar refrain in rural Nigeria.
For Kasuwan Daji, the market is silent. The dead are buried. And the missing remain somewhere in the bush.
Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflicts for TruthNigeria.
