In the Kasuwan Daji incident in Niger State, where terrorists massacred at least thirty villages and kidnapped numerous women and children, President Bola Tinubu issued an order on Sunday for the military, police, and State Security Service to locate and capture the offenders. In addition, the President warned that terrorists “must face the full consequences of their criminal actions” and ordered security forces to immediately free all abducted victims.Tinubu connected Saturday’s attack to terrorists escaping from the states of Sokoto and Zamfara after the US airstrike on Christmas Eve in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy.
On Saturday, January 3, 2026, armed bandits attacked the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State, killing thirty people, including women. In addition, the gunmen set the market on fire and abducted other people. According to SP Wasiu Abiodun, a spokeswoman for the Niger State Police, suspected bandits from the National Park forest near Kabe District broke into Kasuwan Daji, set fire to the market, pillaged stores, and took food. “The resolve of our nation and its citizens has been put to the test by these terrorists. As a result, they have to deal with the full repercussions of their illegal behaviour. The President said, “They must be pursued, regardless of who they are or what their intentions are. “They, and all those who aid, abet, or enable them in any form, will be caught and brought to justice,” he continued. Tinubu expressed his sympathies to the victims’ families as well as the Niger State government and populace, promising that security forces have been ordered to step up their efforts in areas that are vulnerable.The President’s order was issued just two weeks after the US military targeted terrorist compounds housing jihadist affiliates in the Bauni axis with airstrikes in the Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State between 11:45 p.m. on December 25 and 12:30 a.m. on December 26. The Ministry of Information and National Orientation said that the operation targeted two well-known Islamic State locations in Tangaza’s Bauni woodland. MQ-9 Reaper drones shot 16 missiles at fighters who were trying to enter Nigeria from the Sahel.The Federal Government has classified the Lakurawa group as a terrorist organisation. The gang operates in remote areas of Sokoto State, including the local governments of Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Binji, and Silame, as well as in northwest Zamfara and Kebbi states. Security experts contend that terrorists have been compelled to look for new operating bases in neighbouring Niger State after being driven from their strongholds in Sokoto and Zamfara as a result of US bombings.
Before Saturday’s attack, Kasuwan Daji residents reported seeing armed men going around neighbouring towns for almost a week. The raid took place near the Papiri settlement, where in November 2025 around 300 students and teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school. The President cautioned against “divisive rhetoric that could undermine national security and cohesion during this challenging period” and asked Nigerians to stick together in the face of security concerns. Our humanity is required in these times. As a single people, we must unite to face these beasts. We must defeat them together and deny them a place to hide.Tinubu declared, “We need to restore these attacked communities’ security and tranquilly.”
Due to a resurgence in insurgency, Nigeria was ranked two spots higher on the Global Terrorism Index in 2025, making it the sixth most terrorised nation in the world. In the first half of 2025, non-state armed organisations killed at least 2,266 persons, which is a considerable increase over the 1,083 deaths that occurred during the same period in 2024 and already exceeds the 2,194 deaths that were reported for the entire year of 2024. The largest sectoral provision in the 2026 budget, N5.41 trillion, was proposed by President Tinubu to support community-based peacebuilding initiatives aimed at containing violent extremism, strengthen joint operations among security agencies, and finance new military equipment.
