THE WEEK: Gunmen struck buses, markets, churches and rural communities in a wave of violence spanning Plateau, Benue, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba and Imo.
By Ezinwanne Onwuka
ABUJA, Nigeria — From Dungus Junction in Kuru, Plateau State, where nine passengers were gunned down as they travelled to Jos, to the vegetable stalls of Mangu, where traders were attacked while packing up for the day, and then to a church road in Barkin Ladi, where a pastor was shot dead on his way to Sunday service, Plateau State endured a grim succession of attacks by week’s end.
But Plateau was only part of the story. Across Nigeria’s North-Central, Northeast, and Southeast regions, attacks left 41 people dead and no fewer than 100 abducted.
26 Killed, More Than 100 Abducted in Fresh North-Central Attacks
Gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru, Jos South County, Plateau State on Sunday night, Sept. 13.
Local sources initially reported seven deaths, while other accounts put the toll at nine. Channels Television and other Nigerian media reported that nine people were killed.
That same night, two people were killed in Mangu County, while four others sustained gunshot injuries. Two more people were killed in Riyom County.
The attacks continued in Mangu on Friday evening, Sept. 18, when gunmen opened fire on a busy vegetable market as traders and customers prepared to close for the day.
Three people were killed and several others wounded, according to local sources cited by Premium Times. Two women and a young man were among those killed.
TruthNigeria reported that at least seven people were hit by gunfire, although the full casualty count remained unclear. No group had claimed responsibility.
The violence escalated again over the weekend, with eight people killed in separate attacks in Barkin Ladi, Riyom and neighbouring communities between Saturday night, Sept. 19, and Sunday morning, Sept. 20.
Five of the victims were passengers travelling to Gana-Ropp in Barkin Ladi County when they were attacked on Saturday night. Two others, including a pastor, were killed on their way to church at Dorowa Babuje on Sunday morning.
TruthNigeria had issued a security alert warning of possible attacks across Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Mangu and Bokkos Counties beginning Saturday night, Sept. 19. The alert went largely unheeded.
In Benue State, two newly deployed Mobile Police officers were killed Monday, Sept. 14, when armed men ambushed the convoy of the police divisional commander in Ayilamo, Logo County.
Residents told TruthNigeria that heavily armed attackers opened fire on two police vehicles. Police described the attackers as armed criminals or bandits, while local witnesses identified them as Fulani ethnic militia.
The officers, Inspector Gabriel Ishaya and Inspector Obidah Lukiyus, were returning from Makurdi when the convoy came under attack.
Their deaths brought to six the number of police officers killed in Ayilamo within four days. Four officers and seven civilians had been killed in an earlier attack on the community on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The wave of violence extended further north to Niger, where more than 100 people were reportedly abducted from Maburya community in Mariga County during a nighttime raid on Saturday, Sept. 12. The attack was reported by local media on Monday, Sept. 14.
Assailants on motorcycles entered Maburya through Bangi at about 8 p.m., firing into the air and forcing residents to flee into surrounding forests and waterways. The attackers searched homes and pursued residents hiding in nearby hills and along riverbanks.
TruthNigeria linked the attack to Lakurawa, an armed group operating across parts of the Nigeria–Benin border region. The exact number of people taken remained uncertain as searches continued.
The Niger State Police Command deployed joint police and military tactical teams to the area to intensify the search and rescue operation. However, the community’s proximity to dense forests and Kainji Lake National Park is making the search for the attackers and their victims more difficult.
The state also recorded a separate security crisis after 37 people detained over suspected illegal mining died in custody in Minna, the state capital on Thursday, Sept. 17.
State officials initially cited a possible disease outbreak, while survivors and relatives alleged that overcrowding and poor ventilation contributed to the deaths.
Jihadist Attack, Communal Clashes Kill 13 in Northeast
In Adamawa State, Boko Haram jihadists attacked the Bitirhuya community in Hong County on Sunday evening, Sept. 13.
The attackers reportedly arrived on motorcycles between 5 and 6 p.m., firing as residents ran into the bush for safety.
Four people were confirmed killed, multiple houses were burned down, and food items were looted from the village
The attack came less than a week after 12 people were reportedly killed in Nzangola village in neighboring Gombi County.
Elsewhere in the Northeast, a separate outbreak of communal violence on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State killed at least nine people and sent hundreds fleeing into surrounding forests and remote borderlands, TruthNigeria reports.
The fighting began Tuesday, Sept. 15, and continued through Thursday, Sept. 17, in Mbamnga, Mbara and Geroji villages in Sardauna County.
Authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew and deployed soldiers and police as houses were reportedly burned.
Fulani Militants Kill 2 in Southeast
The week’s violence also reached southeastern Nigeria.
In Imo State, local vigilante operative Chigaemezu Ozuzu and another unidentified man were shot dead Monday, Sept. 14, when armed Fulani militants invaded Umunjo village in Owerri-West County.
Ozuzu had led a group to inspect a property in the village when the attackers struck. A woman accompanying the group was shot in the stomach and left fighting for her life until help arrived. One person managed to escape, while another was marched into the forest by the attackers.
A community security official interviewed by TruthNigeria said eight Fulani militants carried out the attack. The official said the men wore military-style camouflage and were armed with AK-47 rifles.
Troops Rescue 38 Kidnap Victims Across 3 States
While attacks and abductions continued, security forces reported a series of rescue operations across the Northwest and North-Central regions.
On Sept. 14 and 15, Nigerian troops rescued 31 kidnapped people in separate operations in Katsina and Kebbi states.
In Funtua County, Katsina State, troops pursued gunmen who had abducted civilians from Unguwan Daudu and Unguwan Chibauna. They rescued 10 victims — three men and seven women, including an infant.
In Kebbi State, troops responding to an abduction in Fafala village rescued another 21 victims after engaging the kidnappers in a gun battle.
The military also reported killing two suspected terrorists in Katsina on Tuesday, Sept. 15, including a suspected kingpin identified as Abbah Alhassan. Two other suspected terrorists were arrested in a separate operation.
Meanwhile, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke also rescued seven kidnapped people during a search-and-rescue operation in Ohimini County, Benue State, on Monday, Sept. 14.
The suspected kidnappers fled as troops approached their hideout, abandoning the victims.
1,106 Boko Haram, ISWAP Fighters Reportedly Killed
Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar said troops had killed 1,106 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, arrested 758 logistics collaborators and recovered more than 475 weapons during his tenure (April 28, 2025–September 15, 2026.)
He also said more than 969 fighters and their family members had surrendered, while troops had rescued 638 civilians from terrorist enclaves.
Among those rescued, he said, were all 46 students targeted during an attempted abduction at the Federal Government Girls College in Monguno.
Ezinwanne Onwuka is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
