The death toll from a brutal armed attack on a rural market in Nigeria’s Niger State has risen to at least 50, local authorities and community leaders said, highlighting the worsening security crisis in the country’s north-central region. Gunmen stormed the busy Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village on Saturday, opening fire indiscriminately on traders and shoppers. Survivors said the attackers also abducted several residents and looted large quantities of food before fleeing into nearby forests, a tactic commonly used by criminal gangs known locally as bandits. A mass burial was held on Sunday for dozens of victims, while the injured were taken to health facilities in surrounding towns, where medical workers say some remain in critical condition. Local officials fear the death toll could rise further as some wounded victims lack access to advanced care.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack and ordered security agencies to intensify operations to track down the assailants and rescue those taken hostage. “These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must face the full consequences of their criminal actions,” Tinubu said in a statement, adding that security patrols would be reinforced around vulnerable communities. Residents told local media that the attackers had been seen in the area for several days before the assault, raising questions about early warning and security response. They also said the market attack was part of a broader wave of raids that began on Friday in nearby communities, including Agwarra and Borgu, with little visible security presence on the ground.
The attack occurred close to Papiri village, where more than 300 schoolchildren and teachers were abducted from a Catholic school in November, underscoring Niger State’s growing vulnerability to mass kidnappings and armed violence. Banditry has escalated across north-western and north-central Nigeria in recent years, driven by weak rural security, porous borders, illegal arms trafficking and deep-rooted poverty. Despite repeated military operations, armed groups continue to target villages, markets and schools, abducting civilians for ransom and killing those who resist.
