Massacre in Northern Nigeria: Over 30 Killed, Many Taken Hostage

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Gunmen
attacked
Kasuwan-Daji
village
in
Nigeria’s
Niger
state
on
Sunday
evening,
leaving
at
least
30
people
dead
and
many
others
kidnapped,
according
to
AP.
Police
confirmed
the
raid,
which
is
part
of
a
long-running
pattern
of
violence
in
northern
Nigeria.

Witnesses
reported
that
the
assault
lasted
up
to
three
hours,
with
residents
too
terrified
to
move.
One
resident,
who
feared
being
identified,
said,
“The
bodies
are
still
there,
but
without
security,
how
can
we
go
to
retrieve
them?” Survivors
stayed
hidden
as
danger
remained
close.

Niger
state
attack:
scale
of
deaths
and
abductions

Officials
and
locals
offered
different
counts
of
the
dead
from
the
Niger
state
attack.
Police
spokesperson
Wasiu
Abiodun
noted
doubts
about
the
initial
toll,
saying,
“Some
residents
believe
the
number
of
deaths
could
be
as
high
as
37,
as
more
bodies
may
still
be
discovered.”
Several
villagers,
including
children,
were
seized
during
the
chaos.

Rev
Fr
Stephen
Kabirat,
spokesperson
for
the
Catholic
Church
of
Kontagora
Diocese,
stated
that
more
than
40
people
were
killed
in
the
Niger
state
attack
on
Kasuwan-Daji.
Residents
also
reported
that
some
kidnapped
villagers
were
minors,
adding
to
the
community’s
shock
and
grief
after
the
raid.

Niger
state
attack:
how
the
gunmen
struck

The
gunmen
moved
into
Kasuwan-Daji,
in
the
Borgu
local
government
area,
shooting
at
people
and
torching
buildings.
Houses
and
the
local
market
were
set
on
fire
as
villagers
tried
to
flee.
Many
homes
were
destroyed,
and
the
attack
left
the
community
in
ruins.

Local
accounts
suggested
the
assailants
had
watched
nearby
settlements
for
nearly
a
week
before
the
strike.
Gunmen
reportedly
monitored
movements
around
Kasuwan-Daji
and
surrounding
areas,
choosing
a
time
when
security
was
weak.
The
planned
nature
of
the
strike
added
to
fears
among
neighbouring
communities.

Niger
state
attack:
insecurity
and
criminal
hideouts

Armed
gangs
in
Nigeria
often
focus
on
remote
villages
with
minimal
security
presence.
Many
hide
in
large,
unused
forests,
including
the
National
Park
Forest
near
the
Kabe
district,
where
the
Kasuwan-Daji
attackers
are
believed
to
have
come
from.
The
forest
area
is
now
widely
seen
as
a
criminal
base.

This
latest
violence
happened
near
the
Papiri
community,
where
over
300
schoolchildren
and
teachers
were
abducted
from
a
Catholic
school
in
November.
The
Kasuwan-Daji
assault
deepens
concerns
about
safety
in
Niger
state,
as
communities
already
affected
by
kidnappings
now
face
repeated
deadly
attacks.