At least four people have been killed following a deadly bandit attack on Damala village in the Woko district of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The assault occurred in the early hours of Saturday, January 10, barely a week after gunmen reportedly killed dozens of residents in coordinated attacks across Borgu and neighbouring Agwara Local Government Areas.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, the Niger State Police Command said the attackers stormed the community, rustled cattle and set several shops on fire before fleeing.
“The bandits invaded the village, rustled an unspecified number of cattle and killed four residents during the attack,” the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, said in a statement.
He added that the gunmen also razed shops in the area, causing further losses to residents.
Abiodun said security agencies responded swiftly after receiving a distress call and have since deployed operatives to the affected community.
“A clearance operation is currently ongoing, and security surveillance has been intensified to prevent further attacks and ensure the safety of residents,” he stated.
The police spokesman assured residents that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible and restore normalcy to the area.
The latest incident comes amid persistent banditry in parts of Nigeria’s North-Central and North-West regions, where armed groups frequently attack rural communities, abduct residents for ransom and loot property.
Niger State has remained one of the worst-hit states in recent months, alongside Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
In November, more than 250 students and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State and later released in two batches, although authorities did not disclose whether a ransom was paid.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in the Kontagora area alleged that the death toll from the recent attacks was higher than official figures.
“Reports indicate that the bandits operated for hours without any security presence,” the church said in a post on its official Facebook page.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security challenges, including banditry, insurgency, farmer-herder conflicts and separatist violence, stretching security forces across different regions of the country.
