At least 32 people were killed in coordinated gunmen attacks on three rural communities in Nigeria’s Borgu area of Niger State, authorities and residents said. The simultaneous dawn raids struck Tunga-Makeri, Konkoso and Pissa on Saturday, leaving villages reeling and security forces scrambling to respond.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed six fatalities in Tunga-Makeri and said an unspecified number of residents were abducted during the assaults. A local resident in Konkoso, Abdullahi Adamu, reported that 26 people were killed in his community, noting the absence of security forces at the time of the attacks.
The violence comes amid a prolonged security crisis in northern and central Nigeria, where armed groups and criminal gangs routinely carry out mass kidnappings, raids and killings. Recent weeks have seen other high-casualty incidents, including a massacre in nearby Kwara State earlier this month that left over 160 people dead, according to multiple reports.
Nigeria’s government has faced criticism at home and abroad for failing to protect remote communities, prompting a security partnership that has seen U.S. military advisers assist in counter-terror operations.
