Gunmen Kill at Least 30 in Northern Nigeria Village Attack

At least 30 individuals have been killed and several others abducted following a violent raid by armed gunmen in Kasuwan-Daji village, located in Niger state, Nigeria. The attack occurred on the evening of Saturday, March 30, 2024, marking another tragic episode in a region plagued by persistent violence. According to local police, the gunmen opened fire on residents and set fire to the local market and multiple homes.

The death toll reported by police stands at 30, but local residents have provided higher figures. Two villagers indicated that at least 37 people had died, with fears that the count could rise as more individuals remain unaccounted for. The situation remains dire, with survivors expressing apprehension about returning to the area to recover the bodies of those killed. A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, noted, “If we don’t see any security, how can we go there?”

The assault lasted for approximately three hours, during which the gunmen, described as having previously been present in nearby communities for about a week, wreaked havoc on the village. Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesperson for the Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese, stated that more than 40 people were killed in the attack, including children among those abducted.

Despite the police’s assertions of deploying officers to search for the kidnapped individuals, many residents have reported that security forces had yet to arrive at the scene as of Sunday. Such responses have drawn criticism, particularly given the region’s history of violent attacks by armed gangs, which have increasingly targeted remote communities that lack adequate security measures.

This incident is particularly alarming as it occurred near the Papiri community, the site of a previous kidnapping in November 2023, where over 300 schoolchildren and their teachers were taken from a Catholic school. The recent raid in Kasuwan-Daji village underscores the ongoing threat posed by these gangs, who often utilize the expansive and abandoned National Park Forest in the Kabe district as a refuge.

The frequency of such violent attacks in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, highlights the urgent need for improved security and government intervention in vulnerable communities. As the situation develops, residents continue to live in fear, grappling with the consequences of armed violence that has become all too common in their daily lives.