Armed Group Attacks Kasuwan-Daji Village in Nigeria, Leaves at Least 30 Dead

Violent Attack in Niger

An armed group attacked the village of Kasuwan-Daji in Niger State, Nigeria, on Saturday, killing at least 30 people and looting local shops. The attackers reportedly emerged from a nearby forest, setting fire to the local market and kidnapping an unspecified number of individuals, according to authorities.

A local journalist reported, "armed men entered the town on motorcycles, carrying weapons, gathered people, and began shooting them, while others were shot." This alarming situation is worsening, with a recent increase in attacks and kidnappings by criminal gangs in western and central Nigeria.

Abdullahi Rofia, an official from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the journalists' reports, stating that villagers are terrified: "They are hiding; they are too afraid to speak to anyone. They fear that if they do, they will also become victims."

Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun stated that an intervention team has been dispatched to assist the injured, and security forces are working to rescue those kidnapped. Although it is illegal to pay ransoms to criminal gangs, this rule is often overlooked.

A witness to the attack noted the lack of security forces in the village: "We want the government to help us. In the past, we hear about these issues in other places, but now it is happening in our villages." Fear is driving people to flee from the places where they were born and raised.

"Death lurks around us, does the government care about us?" questioned a local resident. The attack occurred just a day after authorities in Niger State announced the gradual reopening of schools, following a mass kidnapping that forced their closure.