Over 100 Killed Across Four Nigerian States as Violence Ushers in 2026
By Emmanuel Kwada
Nigeria entered the new year amid widespread mourning following a series of coordinated and deadly attacks across parts of the country’s northern and North-Central regions.
Armed bandits and jihadist groups carried out violent raids in Niger, Plateau, Kebbi, and Adamawa states, leaving more than 100 people dead, scores abducted, and thousands displaced between the final days of 2025 and the opening days of 2026.
While official casualty figures released by security agencies remain provisional and in some cases lower, accounts from local authorities, community leaders, religious institutions, and residents indicate that the cumulative death toll has surpassed 100.
Residents of Gebbe village in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State are fleeing their homes following renewed bandit attacks in the area.
The renewed violence underscores the persistent security challenges facing rural communities, where limited state presence has allowed criminal and extremist groups to operate with deadly impact.
Niger State: Deadliest Attacks Recorded
The most devastating incidents occurred in Niger State, where armed bandits launched coordinated attacks on communities in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas.
The assailants, reportedly operating from forested areas around the Kainji Lake National Park, struck several settlements, including Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Kaima, and nearby communities.
More than 40 people were killed, adding that women and children were among those abducted.
According to police, the attack on Kasuwan Daji occurred on January 3, when gunmen arrived on motorcycles, opened fire on traders and residents, set parts of the market ablaze, looted shops, and abducted an unspecified number of people.
The Niger State Police Command confirmed that over 30 people were killed, while acknowledging that investigations were ongoing.
However, local sources, traditional leaders, and church officials placed the death toll significantly higher.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, through its Director of Communications, Rev. Father Stephen Kabirat, said more than 40 people were killed, adding that women and children were among those abducted.
Blurred images of over 40 people killed during Niger-marked raid in cold blood
He disclosed that the parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the attackers stormed the mission house, vandalised church property, and made away with cash and motorcycles.
Residents said some of the abducted victims included pupils who had only recently regained freedom following the November 2025 abduction of over 300 pupils, students, and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, an incident that had already drawn national outrage.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the Niger State attacks and directed the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to intensify efforts to track down the perpetrators and ensure their arrest.
Parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the attackers stormed the mission house, vandalised church property, and made away with cash and motorcycles.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described the killings as “cruel and nefarious,” while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the attacks represented a grave failure of the state’s responsibility to protect lives and property.
Plateau State: New Year Celebration Turns to Mourning
In Plateau State, violence struck just as residents were preparing to welcome the new year. At about 11 p.m. on December 31, 2025, gunmen attacked the Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area.
The Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) confirmed that at least seven people were killed, with fears that the number could rise as search and rescue operations continued.
Some of the seven lives were lost in Bong village, Plateau State.
According to the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the attack occurred despite prior security alerts warning that some communities in Jos South had been identified as potential targets.
The incident added to a long list of violent attacks recorded in Plateau State in 2025, including earlier killings in Barkin Ladi and Bassa Local Government Areas.
Community leaders warned that continued attacks on rural settlements were deepening fear and displacement, particularly during periods traditionally associated with peace and celebration.
Kebbi State: Villages Overrun, Residents Displaced
In Kebbi State, suspected bandits carried out a series of attacks in Shanga Local Government Area, targeting villages including Tungan Giwa, Kaiwa, Gebbe, and Gurwo. Community sources reported that seven to eight people were killed across the affected settlements.
Heavily armed militants stormed the communities on motorcycles, looting food, stealing all motorcycles in sight, and setting ablaze homes, shops, and farmlands they could not carry away.
The attackers reportedly burnt homes, including the residence of a village head in Kaiwa, and forced residents to flee en masse. Many families abandoned farmlands, livestock, and personal belongings as they sought refuge in Shanga town and neighbouring communities.
Residents appealed for increased military and police deployment, warning that continued insecurity threatened livelihoods and food production in the agrarian area. State authorities said additional security personnel had been deployed to restore calm and prevent further attacks.
Adamawa State: ISWAP Attacks Kill Scores, Villagers Forced to Sleep in Bushes with Children
In Adamawa State, communities in Hong Local Government Area came under attack between December 26 and 31, 2025, in assaults claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Villages including Zah, Mubang Yadul, Kijing, and surrounding settlements were reportedly targeted.
With no security presence, villagers—many of them women and children—spent last night hiding and sleeping in nearby bushes as the attackers roamed freely from house to house in search of victims.
Residents said heavily armed militants stormed the communities on motorcycles, looting food, stealing all motorcycles in sight, and setting ablaze homes, shops, and farmlands they could not carry away. With no security presence, villagers—many of them women and children—spent last night hiding and sleeping in nearby bushes as the attackers roamed freely from house to house in search of victims.
The situation was worsened by the destruction of the only telecommunications mast in the area, leaving residents without early warning or emergency communication. Community leaders are now calling for urgent deployment of permanent security forces, restored network services, and sustained patrols to protect lives and prevent further attacks.
The Adamawa attacks further highlighted the resilience of jihadist groups in parts of the North-East, despite years of military operations aimed at dismantling their networks.
A farm produce storage was burnt down by Boko Haram after looting it.
The combined impact of the attacks across the four states has led to the displacement of thousands of people, worsening humanitarian conditions and raising concerns about food security as farming communities abandon their lands. Aid agencies have warned that continued violence could deepen poverty and hunger in already vulnerable regions.
Security agencies maintain that operations are ongoing to dismantle armed groups, while the Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to restoring peace. However, civil society groups and community leaders continue to call for stronger intelligence gathering, sustained troop presence in rural areas, and long-term strategies to address the socio-economic drivers of violence.
As families bury their dead and anxiously await news of abducted relatives, the renewed bloodshed has cast a sombre shadow over the beginning of 2026. For many affected communities, the demand remains urgent and simple: lasting security that allows them to live, farm, and celebrate without fear.
Author
Sign up for The Insight Newsletter
Get in-depth, research and data-based interpretative reports from around Nigeria.
