Massacre in Nigeria: Gunmen Kill Dozens, Abduct Children in Village Raid

A remote village in northern Nigeria descended into chaos Saturday night when armed gunmen stormed the small community of Kasuwan-Daji, murdering at least 30 residents and kidnapping dozens more in a three-hour rampage that has left survivors traumatized and desperate for help.

The death toll may be even higher. Local residents and church officials told reporters that as many as 40 to 50 people were slaughtered, many of them in their own homes. Others were abducted—including children.

“They shot anyone who ran. Women. Elders. Even children,” said a terrified resident who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We have never seen anything like this.”

The attack unfolded around dusk in Niger State’s troubled Borgu region. According to state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun, the gunmen arrived from the dense forest region near the Kabe district—an area already known as a stronghold for violent bandit groups.

Once inside the village, the attackers opened fire indiscriminately, torched the market square, and burned multiple homes to the ground. Witnesses say terrified villagers fled in all directions, but many were cut down or captured.

“Kasuwan-Daji has been destroyed,” said Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora. “Families have been shattered. More than 40 lives are gone. Many of the kidnapped are children.”

Despite police claims that officers have been deployed to the area, villagers say they are still alone—and too afraid to return and collect the bodies of their loved ones.

“The corpses are still there,” said one survivor. “We can’t go back unless the military comes. They’re still out there in the forest, waiting.”

Saturday’s massacre happened less than 20 miles from Papiri, the site of another devastating incident in late 2025 when over 300 Catholic schoolchildren and teachers were kidnapped in broad daylight—a case that remains unresolved.

Northern Nigeria has become a hotspot for lawlessness in recent years. A patchwork of violent gangs—referred to locally as “bandits”—have taken control of remote areas, exploiting the country’s lack of rural security and using expansive forest reserves as operational bases.

Experts say these attacks are not random. They are coordinated, increasingly brutal, and designed to terrorize civilians into submission.

“The government is failing to protect its people,” said security analyst Dr. Idris Yaro. “These forests are now de facto headquarters for organized crime.”

As of Sunday night, families in Kasuwan-Daji remain in mourning and fear. The dead lie unburied. The abducted are unaccounted for. And the gunmen have vanished once again into the wilds of Niger State, just as they’ve done countless times before.

“There is no hope here,” the unnamed resident said. “Only fear.”