Armed Men Kill 20, Abduct Residents in Nigeria Attacks
The coordinated assault struck Bagna and Erena, both located within the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, on Tuesday. Militants razed homes and destroyed property before withdrawing, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG).
Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun told Reuters that two community guards and a driver were killed and several others sustained injuries. Survivors and local residents, however, relayed a sharply higher toll, placing the death toll at roughly 20. Those same residents, speaking to media, described attackers who operated for several hours, overwhelmed local security personnel, and drove panicked villagers toward the neighboring towns of Gwada Zumba and Galadima Kogo.
The CNG issued a pointed condemnation of the bloodshed. "This senseless act of violence is a stark reminder of the deteriorating security situation in our state and the failure of the government to protect its citizens," the group stated.
The organization further labeled the continued targeting of Niger State communities as "unacceptable," pressing both federal and state authorities to reinforce troop deployments and bolster security across vulnerable areas.
Shiroro has endured relentless militant activity in recent years. Last November, approximately 24 farmers — among them pregnant women — were reportedly seized by armed bandits during a harvest in the Palaita community, also within Erena. Days before that incident, gunmen stormed St. Mary's Catholic boarding school in Papiri, Niger State, in a pre-dawn raid, abducting more than 300 students and 12 staff members — the largest mass school kidnapping recorded in Nigeria since Boko Haram captured 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014.
The latest killings underscore a deepening security crisis gripping West Africa's most populous nation. Violence has continued unabated despite Abuja's declaration of a national security emergency, even as foreign partners — including the United States — have intensified support in operations against Islamic State-affiliated militants.
The past week alone has seen multiple high-profile incidents. On Sunday, the Nigerian army announced that troops had rescued 31 individuals taken hostage during an Easter church service in Kaduna State. The preceding week, gunmen descended on Angwan Rukuba in Jos North, Plateau State, killing at least 28 people, according to police. President Bola Tinubu, during an April 2 visit to the affected region, pledged to hunt down the perpetrators of what he described as "dastardly acts" and bring them to justice.
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